


Fate/Chronos

by Umbral-Z (Umbral_Z)



Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, fate - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2020-03-19 18:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 53,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbral_Z/pseuds/Umbral-Z
Summary: A jaded freelancer unexpectedly becomes a Master in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Armed with nothing but a child's wish, he heeds the Grail's call. But beware, Zayne, for something lies just beyond the edge of time - something that holds the answers that you seek.Disclaimer: The Fate series and its respective characters belong to TYPE-MOON. All OCs are mine.





	1. Point Zero

  
  
Disclaimer: The Fate series and its respective characters belong to TYPE-MOON. All OCs are mine.

* * *

" **Time is such a valuable resource. It is something we take for granted, yet it slips through our fingers like grains of sand into the infinite stream of time, for some more so than others…"**

Where... Where am I? How did I get here?

I know my eyes are open, and yet I can't see anything but complete darkness. I feel like I am sinking. No... I am sinking. I'm submerged in water and can't move my own body.

I try calling out to anyone that might hear me, but no words escape my mouth. I'm trapped in this state. Unable to breathe, unable to die.

If I could just let go and vanish into nothingness. Nothing I try can improve my current situation, and so I keep sinking deeper and deeper into the unknown. Is this how I'm going to die? Is this how my life will end? Will anyone remember me in 1, 5, or 10 years from now?

Doubtful. Will anyone mourn me? No, there's no one that I could think of.

Amidst all the questions, a light appears in the distance. It gives off a faint glow like the last glimmer of hope in a pit of despair. It's as if a higher entity has found me, deeming me worth saving. Or perhaps they are simply taking pity on me.

I continue to watch the light as I keep sinking. It's coming closer to me. Either that or it's getting brighter. I partially close my eyes as to not get blinded by its radiance. Then, I see a gentle hand reaching out to me.

Should I take it? Do I even deserve to be saved? These questions are pointless since I still can't move a muscle. All I can do is watch the hand come closer and when it almost touches me.

I wake up.

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling of my apartment. It's a bit dusty and has some cobwebs in the corners. I don't bother with cleaning up very often since I never get any visitors. I sigh as I put a hand over my eyes and mutter to myself, "Another nightmare." I turn to the left and look at the clock next to my bed.

6:21 AM.

I can hear a light patter on the nearby window as I crawl out of bed. Pulling the curtains aside, I get a view of a rainy London with the Clock Tower not far in the distance. It's still a little early for me to head out but with bad weather like this, I kind of don't want to go at all today.

Nevertheless, I walk to the bathroom and go through my usual morning routine.

I splash cold water from the sink in my face to eliminate the last bit of sleepiness as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I put on a fake smile like I always do before meeting the usual lot at the Clock Tower. Every day, I ask myself why I even bother to continue like this. How long can I keep this up? What is even the purpose of all this? Of my life? I could always take the coward's way out, but I won't even though I have nothing to look forward to. Yes, I believe this is my punishment.

After finishing my morning routine and getting dressed, I grab my suitcase and an umbrella on the way out while taking a glance at my watch. 6:55 AM.

Nearly 20 minutes pass before I finally reach the Clock Tower. As I approach the entrance, I see a lot of students arriving as well. Students from all over the world from many mage families of different statuses, all wearing the Mage's Association uniform. One can tell just by a glance that they want to look as good as possible since the Clock Tower is the heart of the mage world. None of them would want to ruin their family's good name.

I get some questioning looks from a few students as I enter alongside them. I don't really mind nor do I blame them. After all, one could easily mistake me for one of them due to my age, but I don't wear the same uniform they do. Instead, I wear a black trench coat with a white dress shirt underneath.

The students walking alongside me quickly disappear as they walk in the opposite direction that I do. At least it's quiet again. Only the sound of my footsteps can be heard as I walk down the marble hallways of the Clock Tower. Occasionally, one of the caretaker golems that's about the size of a grown man walks past me. They are faceless and look like they are completely made of clay with a red gem stuck in their chest area that serves as their core.

Suddenly, I hear a voice calling out to me from behind, "Ah, excuse me, do you have a moment?"

That voice was far too close for comfort. I immediately turn around to find someone right behind me. I'd argue that not just anyone can sneak up on me but this guy actually got the drop on me.

A man with long white hair and purple eyes, wearing a navy-blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath. He holds a curved walking cane made of wood with his left hand. In the chest pocket, where one would usually find a handkerchief, is a beautiful flower with pink petals and a yellow center.

The man has a mischievous smile on his face. I realize that he just wanted to play a prank on me apparently and I relax my shoulders.

"What is it?" I ask him nonchalantly.

"Could you tell me where I can find Lord El-Melloi II's office?" he inquires with a voice as smooth as silk.

"Sure," I reply as I point to the right, "Follow that corridor until you reach the end. Then, take a turn to the right. It's the fifth door on the right from there."

"Thank you kindly," he smiles while scrutinizing me with his gaze.

"Is there anything else?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really, I just thought it was odd that you aren't wearing the Clock Tower's uniform," he replies with a smile, "Forgive me if I have offended you."

"None taken," I shrug. He bows his head before taking his leave. I watch as he walks away leisurely before I move on.

Something was really weird about that guy. Everything from the way he looked to the way he talked. I could almost feel an unexplainable aura emanating from him. Oh well, none of my business, I guess.

Eventually, I reach a set of double doors. This is the place where I usually spend my time at the Clock Tower. I open one of the doors, finding the usual sight upon entering. A pretty big lounge with many wooden tables and couches in the center, a bar on the left side where one can also get something to eat and a pinboard that nearly takes up the entire wall on the opposite end of where I'm standing.

This is the place where freelancers, hired guns, and bounty hunters like myself pass the time. The Mage's Association and the Holy Church always have jobs where they need an extra pair of hands that know how to handle a gun or how to cast a spell. The aforementioned board on the other end of the room is where we get those jobs. These mostly involve assassination of rogue magi that practice forbidden magecraft or people that risk exposing thaumaturgy to the general public. Sometimes it involves finding missing people or retrieving powerful artifacts. Of course, using this lounge isn't free. The Mage's Association gets a small discount on our services for using their Clock Tower as a hub.

The lounge is relatively empty right now as it's still early in the morning. The board is getting updated by two golems, so I walk over to the bar to get a coffee. I pass by a few familiar faces who greet me before I greet them back with a simple wave and a forced smile. After getting my coffee, I sit down at one of the empty tables near the edge of the room and pull out my laptop to finish up my report on my latest mission.

Several hours pass by as the lounge slowly but steadily gets more crowded. I lean back in my chair as I finish my work and take a sip of my second cup of coffee. I take a glance at the board and see a group of people in front of it. Too crowded, I'll take a look later.

"Hey, Zayne," a male voice greets me as I look up from my screen.

Some guy in a leather jacket I see regularly here approaches me and sits at my table. What was his name again? I don't really interact with the people here too much to remember all their names. Unfortunately, I'm pretty known among the Clock Tower's council and bounty hunters due to a big problem I solved for them a year ago where everyone else failed.

"What's up?" I answer coolly as I try to look like the calm and cheery person everyone here thinks I am.

"Just sitting here won't get you a new job, you know?" he says matter of factly.

"Did you come just to tell me that?" I reply jokingly, "I've been in this business for years now, I know how this works."

"Still, you're the youngest of us here," he continues, "Us freelancers gotta look out for each other and all that."

Yes, I'm the youngest in this room with 19 years. Everyone else here is at least 5 years older than me, not that it bothers me or anything. I've been fighting my whole life, so this way of life came naturally to me. Still, do they have to remind me all the time that I'm the youngest?

"Yeah, I know, I know," I retort, waving my hand dismissively, "But that doesn't mean I need a babysitter." "Heh, how about you join us at the pub tonight then, kid?" he says sarcastically, "You're old enough for that."

"I'll pass, but thanks for the offer," I respond, "I'm not much of a party person."

"Well, your call," he concludes as he gets up, "Take care, kid."

I still haven't remembered his name during the entirety of the conversation.

Just as I start to get bored, the door opens and to my surprise, Lord El-Melloi II himself walks in. He's wearing a black suit with a loose red scarf and has long black hair. He's carrying a file under his right arm and scans the room with his eyes for a moment before they land on my position. Then, he hurries straight towards my table but doesn't bother sitting down once he reaches it.

"Lord El-Melloi II," I greet him, "To what do I owe the honor? You normally don't visit this part of the Clock Tower."

He puts the file on the table and says with an indifferent attitude, "There's a new job for you. Stealing an artifact and delivering it to the client, the details are in the file."

"There are a lot of people here who specialize in these sorts of jobs," I comment, "Why me of all people?"

"The client specifically asked for you," he responds before turning around, "It's up to you if you accept the job or not." With that, he leaves as quickly as he came.

Whoever the client may be, the fact that I have been specifically chosen for this seems kind of fishy. Alas, my curiosity gets the better of me. I grab the file off the table and take a look.

The target location is in France, a facility just outside Paris that serves as a storehouse for a black-market dealer. The artifact I'm supposed to recover is a small piece of cloth in a small white and gold casket located inside. Once I have it, I need to deliver it to the anonymous client at the docks in Fuyuki, Japan.

Wait a minute... delivering an artifact to Fuyuki in Japan? I heard something about that recently. A quick look through the files on my laptop confirms my hunch.

The Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. A bloody battle royale between seven Masters, usually magi, and their Servants, Heroic Spirits from all across human history. The last Master-Servant pair that is left standing wins the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish granting device. This ritual happens once every 60 years and was originally conceived by the three Magi families: The Tohsakas, the Matou, and the Einzberns.

The Servants that are summoned to fight in this war are figures that made their mark on human history, be they real or fiction from the past, present, or the future. The seven Servants for the war are summoned under one of the seven classes each: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Additionally, each Heroic Spirit possesses at least one Noble Phantasm, which is basically their ultimate power. It can be a weapon, an ability, or even a method of attack. The war is supervised by the Holy Church to ensure that the Masters follow the rules of conduct.

However the previous tournament, the third Holy Grail War, went wrong. There was no clear winner because someone broke the rules and summoned an Extra Class Servant, an Avenger. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was the Einzberns. For one, the Matou are not cunning enough to think of something like this and the Tohsakas are too traditional to break the rules. The Einzberns, on the other hand, want to win at any cost and produce homunculi by the hundreds. One of which becomes their puppet for the Holy Grail War.

More importantly, to summon a Servant, one needs a catalyst. An object that is tied to the legend of a Heroic Spirit or something that they possessed in their life. In other words, I'm supposed to steal a catalyst for this client, because he is most certainly one of the participants of the Holy Grail War.

It now makes a little more sense why I was picked for this. The most likely scenario is that once I've delivered the relic, he or she will hire me again right there to help them in the war for the Holy Grail. After all, the rules don't state that outside help from a freelancer is forbidden or anything. I'll probably get tasked to gather information about the other Masters if the client doesn't already have it, in which case my job will most likely be their assassination.

The payout for the relic alone is also exorbitant. Not that I particularly care about money. I'm barely spending anything of what I have on stuff that isn't necessary for me.

The following pages of the file contain an exact layout of the facility where the catalyst is stored, complete with details on its security system and patrol routes of the guards plus their shifts. This almost seems too easy with that much information. I won't let my guard down nonetheless.

I close my laptop and pack it into my suitcase before leaving the Clock Tower. I have a lot of work to do. The first order of business: Booking a flight to France...

* * *

I rented a car after exiting the airport in Paris to drive the rest to my target location. I sent most of my needed gear to Fuyuki in advance and will only stay the night in France. I've already booked a flight for Japan in the next morning.

I take a glance at the time in my car as I drive on the empty country road. It's 11:24 PM. The next change in shift for the guards is at midnight. Thanks to all the detailed information in the file, I could devise a simple and effective plan to get in and out without being detected. Of course, I do have a backup plan on the off chance that something does go wrong.

Once I get close to the storehouse, I drive off the road and park the car behind a hill close to it. I put on my mask that has a built-in night vision mode and a pair of black gloves before exiting the vehicle. The sky is clear, the weather is good and I'm dressed as black as the night.

I run a quick check through my gear. A small bolt cutter, a jamming transmitter for the security cameras... check. A flashbang, a smoke bomb, two knives, and my trusty revolver just in case.

I walk up the hill and crouch down to take a look at the storehouse. The cameras outside are exactly where they would be and a couple of guards are making one last round around the storehouse before their shift ends. I make my way down towards the fence and lay low in the grass until they pass by. Then, I take out the cutter and begin to make a hole in the fence that is just big enough for me to crawl through.

Here I go again. I feel slightly anxious. It's been a while since I've been out in the field like this. As long as I keep a clear mind and remember my training I've got nothing to fear.

My surroundings are dimly lit and I keep to the shadows as I move from cover to cover to avoid the sight of the security cameras. Before accessing the door to get inside, I pull out the jamming transmitter and aim it at the camera that is locked to the door, then push the button. That should buy me some time.

Sneaking towards the door, I press my hand against the lock and focus as I transfer mana into it. When you pour too much mana into an object, it will result in being overloaded and exploding in most cases. However, with a bit of skill, one can pour just enough mana into it to break but to not make any noise.

A clicking sound lets me know that the lock is done for as I gently open the door, hurry inside and close it behind me.

It's completely dark inside, so I switch to night vision and use the jammer to disable any cameras that I can't avoid. Simply switching on the light is not an option here because the cameras would notice that. Well, they'll realize that someone was here when they find one of their artifacts missing. By the time that happens though, I'll be on the other side of the planet.

I enter the main room where the artifact is kept and look around. There are a lot of crates here, some are sealed, some are open while random items are displayed on several shelves.

I carefully walk around to take a look at the items stored here. The first thing I see is a lone book on a shelf. I pick it up to take a look at its cover.

"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

I've read that book once, but this copy looks to be the original written by the author himself back in the 19th century. Its protagonist, Edmond Dantes, lost everything he had and went on a quest for vengeance against those who wronged him, a tale that I can relate to in some degree. Interesting, but that's not why I'm here, so I put it back.

The next thing I come across is a half-open crate. A look inside shows me a dozen of different swords in all sizes and colors. Out of curiosity, I take a look at the attached sheet of paper on the crate.

"The swords of Charlemagne and his twelve Paladins."

Continuing on, I come across a disassembled guillotine that dates back to the French Revolution, its blade has centuries-old stains of blood on it, followed by a portrait of Marie Antoinette.

I feel like I'm walking through a museum just as I walk past a rapier in pristine condition that, if the description is anything to go by, belonged to one of the most renowned swordsman of 18-19th century France, which is resting on a stand. After that is another book on a nearby shelf.

"Code Civil" by Napoleon Bonaparte.

I'm almost at the end of this row. The next thing I come across is a replica of a skull mask along with a copy of the screenplay "The Phantom of the Opera."

Finally, I reach the end of this historic tour after walking past a knight's armor that has a cross on its chest plate and is mostly silver with bits of it colored in dark green.

My eyes land on the reason for my visit. A small white casket with a golden cross on it that is placed on a stand lies just up ahead. Behind it on the wall is a replica of the flag of Orleans. I approach the casket and open it to check its contents, a small piece of cloth. I close it and put it carefully inside my bag.

Walking back to the exit is no problem at all since the cameras that I went past are still disabled. Once I'm outside, I look to the left and right in case a guard comes by. Seeing that I'm clear to proceed, I scurry back to the fence and crawl through the hole I made earlier.

Now that I'm outside the restricted area, I hurry back to my car. I went in and out without anyone noticing, mission accomplished. Now, I just have to catch my next flight in 5 hours. Next stop, Fuyuki.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for reading the first chapter of my fanfiction! I'd also like to give a shoutout to erenatnier for beta reading my story.**

**Edit: I am aware that Waver Velvet is still a student by the time of Fate/Zero but I chose to put him there instead of a generic Clock Tower Professor. You also may have already noticed that there will be different Masters and Servants in this Holy Grail War as a result ;)**


	2. A Fateful Encounter

I arrived in Fuyuki about an hour ago. It's almost midnight - the flight having taken nearly eleven hours. I used that time to refresh my knowledge on general history and going through the most known historical figures. There was a lonely king who collected all the treasures the world had to offer, a conquering king who journeyed east, an emperor who built a vast empire, an ideal king who sacrificed his own humanity for his people, and a holy maiden that gave her very life for the sake of her country.

The latter was betrayed and labeled a heretic. A selfless person that was consumed by a cruel world. Poor girl.

In a Holy Grail War, knowing the identity of an enemy Servant can give you a huge advantage over them since you can discover their weakness in their history or legend. At any rate, fighting a Servant on your own is highly dangerous if not suicide. Hence why taking out the Master is the quickest and easiest way.

I booked a hotel where I will store my gear while I'm staying in Fuyuki. After all, it's not guaranteed that whoever this illusive client is will contract me to help him in the war. All I have to do right now is to wait for this person to show up here and give them the relic.

The docks are abandoned right now. I stand on the edge, looking out towards the sea as the cool breeze goes by and the waves crash against the land. It's pretty quiet. These calm moments where I'm all alone put my mind at ease and almost make me forget the past in this tranquility.

…

I've been waiting here for over an hour now. Where the hell is my client? Patience is a virtue but it has its limits.

Luckily, there was a phone number deposited in the file that I could call, so I whip out my phone and select the contact. My phone is one of the newer models to help me with the logistic side of this business. I used to have personal data on it such as pictures but those are all gone now.

"The number you're calling is invalid," is the only thing I can hear from an automated voice on the other end. I end the call with slight irritation.

Something is very wrong here. The contracts from the Mage's Association are always legit.

My eyes dart over my surroundings, carefully eyeing every possible hiding spot in the vicinity. I look toward the narrow walkways between the storehouses, the top of the stacked containers, and the crane that is used to move them around but there seems to be no one present. Still, I can't be careful enough, seeing that my client seems to have bailed out. I call the person who got me this job in the first place, Lord El-Melloi II. It's afternoon over there in London so he should still be at the Clock Tower.

The phone rings for a few moments before he picks up, "Hello?"

"It's me. Zayne." I reply.

"I'm really busy here, what do you want?" Lord El-Melloi II says snarky and to the point, just as he always does.

"I'm in Fuyuki now and the client of the job you got me yesterday isn't showing up," I state, letting my gaze wander in case someone shows up.

"What are you talking about? I didn't give you any jobs yesterday," he responds.

"Of course you did!" I protest. "You literally came to the lounge in person to hand me the damn file!"

"And I'm telling you that I didn't," he sighs. "Look, I'm really busy right now, so I'm going to end the call."

Before I'm able to interject, he hangs up. I put my phone away in frustration.

"Great, now what?" I silently curse to myself.

I reach into my bag and take out the file in the hopes that I can find something there. Upon opening it, however, I freeze as I discover that all the pages are blank. Then, they just vanish into thin air before my own eyes, leaving a flower with pink petals and a yellow center.

The same kind of flower the white-haired mage had on his suit that I ran into the other day. The guy who sneaked up on me and asked me for directions. When I find this guy... But what if that is what he wants? Why else would he have left this obvious clue if not wanting me to find him? Why the hell even go through all that?

My train of thought is interrupted when a sudden pain overwhelms my right hand as if it's been dipped in lava. I nearly drop the file with the flower because of it. Then, right before my eyes, strange red markings appear on the back of my right hand. Once it has fully materialized, the pain stops and I look at it more closely. It looks like an hourglass with two scythes around it that enclose it.

  
[Made by Keyboard Kadabra. Here is his portfolio: https://www.keyboardkadabra.com/]

No… Impossible. These are Command Seals?! This means that I've been chosen as a Master in this stupid War. Why? Why me of all people? Why am I being dragged into this War as a Master that these idiotic mage families are so fond of? I don't even have a damn wish, so I shouldn't even be considered a candidate to begin with!

I take a deep breath to calm myself.

I've been chosen. There's nothing I can do to change that now. I need to keep calm and think this through.

Command Seals are necessary to summon and control a Servant. Each Seal is made of three parts. Each of which can be used to give your Servant an order that they cannot go against, no matter what. Once the third Seal is used, the contract, and consequently your hold over a Servant, is gone. And a Servant without a Master to supply them with mana will vanish very quickly and go back to the Throne of Heroes.

So many questions are racing through my mind right now, but I can't stay out here in the open like this anymore. Now that I have Command Seals, I'm a target for every Magus in the city... and their Servants if they are already summoned. I pull out my gloves and put them on to cover my Command Seals before leaving the docks.

If this damn Mage with the flowers and white hair is in Fuyuki, there is a person who would know about it.

* * *

I arrive at the other end of the city in front of a gate. A church lies just beyond it in the darkness of the night. At the very least, I won't have to worry about being attacked here because this place is regarded as a non-combat zone for the Holy Grail War. Walking through the gate, I enter the church by pushing open the set of double doors at the entrance.

It's pretty dark inside, as expected, with the only source of light being a few candles near the altar at which a single person is standing with his back turned to me.

That must be the supervisor for the Holy Grail War and the head of this church. If there is any person in Fuyuki that would know about the magus I'm looking for, assuming he is in this city, it would be that guy.

The sound of a book being closed can be heard as he turns around. The priest of this church, an elderly man dressed in purple robes with a cross around his neck, looks at me curiously. I come to a halt about halfway towards him.

"I am Risei Kotomine," the priest introduces himself, "What brings you here at this hour, child?"

He then eyes me from top to bottom and adds, "Or should I say, Freelancer?"

Well, it's not that hard for someone like him to deduce my profession. A young adult wearing a black trench coat with black gloves coming to the church in the middle of the night unannounced. It doesn't get much shadier than that.

"Good guess," I reply. "In that case, I'll get straight to the point: I'm looking for a Magus. White hair, purple eyes, a wooden cane, and carries a flower like this one."

I hold out the flower that was left in the file earlier.

He knows that I know that the Holy Church has eyes and ears everywhere, so he can't pretend to be dumb with me.

"Let's assume that I do know about the magus you just described and where he is located," he muses, "Why should I tell you anything about it? As far as I know, you have currently no business with the Holy Church or the Holy Grail War that is about to begin soon."

I hoped to avoid this, but it looks like I have no other option.

"Then what about this?" I announce as I pull the glove off my right hand and hold out my Command Spells to him.

The priest looks surprised for a second, but he regains his calm composure almost instantly. "Oh, it would appear that you've been chosen by the Holy Grail to be a Master," he comments.

"Now, answer my question," I remark.

"Very well," he begins, "But I'll have to disappoint you. I know nothing about the Magus you are looking for. And someone as conspicuous as him would have surely been seen by the eyes of the church."

I narrow my eyes at that response. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I swear upon my faith and God that I have never seen or heard from this magus," he announces dramatically. "Will that suffice, boy?"

Damn it. I guess this really is a dead end.

"However," he continues as he begins to slowly walk around the formation of pews on my left. "Shouldn't you be focusing on the Holy Grail War rather than finding this magus? The Grail chooses its Masters for a reason."

He does have a point. I've been so focused on finding this magus that I didn't put much thought into the fact that I received Command Seals from the Grail. This is a pretty big deal.

"The Grail beckons you," he elaborates. "What you have here is a once in a lifetime chance. What is it you want most? Your deepest desire? Or something you want to undo? The Grail can make anything possible."

"Why do you care so much about my participation?" I ask him cautiously just as his walk around the room is about halfway done.

"It's my duty as overseer of this war. I need to encourage Masters to enter the fight if they have been chosen," he states solemnly, "Of course, should you not want to participate, you can forfeit your rights as Master and will be placed under the protection of the church until the war is over."

I don't know. Entering a battle to the death against six other Masters and Servants for a supposed wish...

"So, what will you do?" He asks me after finishing his round and standing back at the altar.

"I'll think about it," is the best response I can come up with as I turn around and walk to the exit.

As I go, the priest smiles and speaks up one more time. "Rejoice, boy. Your wish will finally come true."

I stop in the doorway, not turning around. "Don't presume to know me."

With that, I leave the church and close the door behind me. What does a priest know about the things I have suffered and endured anyway? I came here for information and not to listen to a damn sermon.

* * *

I put my glove back on after leaving the gate to the church and find myself wandering aimlessly through the outskirts of Fuyuki. I look up at the starry sky as I try to make sense of the recent events.

This is crazy. Me, a Master? What are the odds of that happening? Usually, this is a battle between esteemed and high-ranking mages. Nevertheless, the Grail deems me to be worthy apparently. I was never one to believe in miracles but... the Holy Grail is said to fulfill any wish the victor desires. Maybe I could…

No.

I stop for a moment next to a park as I look up at the night sky and take a deep breath.

Anything the victor desires... There is not much that I would want, not because I have led a fulfilled life until now, but because there is nothing I can think of that would bring me that fulfillment, or joy, or happiness. I have been able to grasp fleeting moments of this feeling long ago, but alas it is not meant to be.

Just then, I see a cyan light racing through the sky. A shooting star. I follow its path through the great sea of stars with my gaze.

Wow, all this talk about the Grail seems to have summoned a shooting star. I highly doubt that this wish-granting device would actually work though. Can't hurt to try, I guess.

"I don't suppose you can make this life worth living, can you?" I whisper to the sky on a whim.

I continue to walk as I notice that I've been standing here for several minutes now, looking up at the sky like an idiot.

There is just one thing that I want to know. Call it "unfinished business" if you will, but I want to know who my parents are, where they are, and why they abandoned me as a child. Anyone else might call this a stupid wish for the omnipotent Holy Grail. However, I have tried to get an answer to that question for years now. I called in favors from both the Mage's Association and the Holy Church, I have scoured the world for any clues, and hired the best trackers money can buy. Nothing yielded any tangible results. It's as if I just appeared in this world out of thin air.

For this to happen though, I would have to destroy six other wishes. Well, I've been accustomed to killing by now and I've got nothing to lose so I might as well. I already have a catalyst to summon a Servant as fate would have it. All I need to do now is make the necessary preparations.

I take out my phone again and open the contact list...

* * *

I slump into the couch of my new hideout and take a moment to rest after around 15 hours of work. I lean back and close my eyes to think about my next step while being careful not to let sleep take me over.

I should have slept on the plane in hindsight, but it can't be helped. I called in every favor I had left and organized something to make my base of operations for the Holy Grail War.

I open my eyes again and look around. I got myself a mansion in the part of Fuyuki where the rural area transitions into the urban area with not too many houses around it. Right now, I'm sitting in the living room of the ground floor of this two-story house. Overall, it's set up rather on the extravagant side. Not by my choice though.

The marble floors made my footsteps echo throughout the mansion. The furniture, from what I can determine, are made of the finest leather. The carpets look to be expensive but that doesn't really matter to me. Furthermore, there are three rooms upstairs with beds, useful in the unlikely event that I make an ally, two bathrooms and one balcony with a view to the garden of this estate that is surrounded by a wall. The ground floor possesses an expensive kitchen, a dining hall, a garage, and a veranda.

I'm not going to lie. I feel somewhat out of place in a house like this. Especially if I consider the state of my old apartment. Out of the limited options I have in Fuyuki, this is the best possible strategic position. This is the only estate with an actual wall instead of a fence surrounding it. The vegetation around the house also makes it easier to cover up the defenses I set up along with the few blind spots outside that I can abuse to get the drop on an invader.

The other freelancers at the Clock Tower always asked me why I haven't bought a house in London or even retire on some island with that big bounty I got a year ago but instead chose to live in that shabby apartment and continue this line of work. Well, since there is a chance that I might die for good in this Holy Grail War, I might as well spend some of it.

I then glance towards the piles of empty crates and boxes all over the room before I sigh.

All kinds of armaments were in those crates. Most of this stuff is for the defense of this mansion that I've already set up. A bounded field, sigils that trap someone in complete stasis if they make a false step, tripwires, and a couple of automatic turrets, to name the most prominent traps I've set up.

Though none of these would pose any threat to a Servant, except for the time sigils if they have a low Magic Resistance, they definitely can kill any mage that goes in unprepared. I may be a freelancer, but that doesn't mean that I can't use magic.

"Well then," I say to no one in particular. "Time to summon my Servant."

I grab the white and gold casket off the table in front of me and another small case with the tools to set up the rest.

I walk out of the backdoor into the simple garden of this estate. I set down the set of tools and begin to draw the intricate summoning circle on the ground, double checking not to make any mistakes in the process.

I put a rock that will serve as a pedestal next to the circle, the opposite end of where I will be standing for the ritual. I spent the last hour memorizing the incantation for this to not screw up. I grab the casket and pull out the piece of white cloth that is resting inside.

Funnily enough, I didn't actually do any research into who this belonged to. I figured since I would meet them anyways, I would find out who they are when I meet that Heroic Spirit in person. I do have a few ideas as to who this might summon though. Well, only one way to find out.

I set the piece of cloth down on the pedestal and walk around the circle, coming to a halt when the catalyst is on the opposite end of my position. I look down at my Command Seals one more time.

The irony of the shape that my Command Seals have taken didn't go pass me. It almost seems as if there is a higher entity somewhere, mocking me as it reminds me of my biggest failure and greatest regret.

I stretch out my right hand as I shake my mind free of those thoughts to calm myself. The Command Seals begin to glow shortly after.

"For the elements, silver and iron,  
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of contracts,  
And for my ancestor, the great Master Schweinorg.  
A wall to block the falling wind.  
Close the gate in the four directions.  
From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill,  
Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled.  
I hereby propose,  
My will shall create thy body,  
And thy sword shall create my fate.  
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,  
If thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer my call!  
I hereby swear,  
I will be all that is good in the eternal world,  
That I shall defeat all evil in the eternal world!  
Thou Seventh Heaven, clad with the Great Trinity,  
Come forth from the circle of binding,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

A pillar of light shoots out from the summoning circle, blinding me for a moment before it dissipates. I then see a lot of smoke in front of me that obscures my view.

Did it work?

The smoke begins to clear out and I see the silhouette of someone standing inside the circle. Next, I see a flag being raised and peeking out of the smoke. The flag is white with a golden border, underlined with a royal blue. Six royal lilies are decorating the edges with the flower of Orleans at the center in the same gold and blue pattern.

The smoke vanishes and I get a good look at the Heroic Spirit I have summoned. A woman with long blonde hair that is braided to a ponytail. She wears a sapphire colored battle-dress that is inlaid with silver plates at the midriff, gauntlets that shine underneath the moonlight, lightweight greaves, and a tiara on her head. She opens her eyes, revealing them to be of a pure amethyst in color, and looks at me with a soft smile on her lips.

I am speechless, to put it bluntly. I don't know what to expect to begin with, but the sight in front of me is captivating. Perhaps it was the way she shines underneath the moonlight or the genuine gaze of kindness she directs towards me. She is simply beautiful, almost to the point it is ethereal. Either way, I am just standing there, at a loss for words.

"Are you my Master?" she asks me.

I nod, regaining my composure.

"Then the pact is made," she announces as she raises her flag. "By this flag and by my oath, I shall protect your life and your soul from any harm. I am the Saber-class Servant, Jeanne D'Arc."

Her flag disappears into fine blue particles as she lets go of it before approaching me.

"Let us work well together as Master and Servant!" she smiles, extending her hand.

I hesitate for a brief moment but I shake her hand, introducing myself, "I'm Zayne Kinami... Nice to meet you."

Our hands part. I feel lightheaded now. Being awake for almost 48 hours is getting to me and the summoning took out the last bit of energy I had left. I walk over the circle to pick up the catalyst and put it back in its casket again.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me," I say shortly after as I walk back inside. "I haven't slept in nearly two days, so I'm going to rest now. We'll start to get acquainted with the area tomorrow morning. Feel free to look around the house in the meantime."

"Wait!" she calls after me.

I turn around to face her. She looks somewhat serious now. A big contrast to how she was a minute ago. She must have something important to tell me. Maybe something concerning her abilities or the Holy Grail War in general?

She puts both her hands on my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. "Why are you not looking properly after your own health?"

"What?" I say in surprise.

"Even though we are about to fight a war, you shouldn't neglect your own well-being," she states, letting me go.

I shrug. "Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so," she says sternly, crossing her arms.

Seeing as there is nothing more to be said. I retreat back into the house to get some sleep at last. Still, I'm a bit surprised that she takes the well-being of her Master that seriously even though we just met.

"Good night, Master!" I hear her saying after me in a cheerful tone.

I wonder what's in store for me tomorrow.


	3. Summoning of the Heroic Spirits - Part 1

It is a quiet afternoon at the Tohsaka mansion in Fuyuki. Tokiomi, the head of the Tohsaka family, is in his final preparations for the Holy Grail War. He is currently sitting in his office, wearing his classic crimson suit and pouring himself a glass of wine of the finest quality.

He takes a sip as he leans back in the comfortable chair of his desk, looking out the big window located just behind it. A view of the mansion's garden greets his eyes. There, he glances over the defensive mechanism of the area, gems placed on pedestals that he set up himself. The formation in which they are set up is perfect. Nothing could get through without triggering the alarm.

Tokiomi takes great pride in his work. Everything he does must be done with elegance and precision. He sees himself in a class above most people due to his family's status and their strong bloodline. Being a mage in this world, a powerful one at that, is a great honor and privilege.

The time to prove his superiority to the rest of the world of mages has finally come. He would be the first mage to activate the Great Grail and open the path to the swirl of the root. The place that is the exterior of the world outside the bounds of space and time where all souls from all living beings originate from and return to after they die. Reaching the Root is the ultimate ambition of the Magi and he would be the one to attain that power, before the Matous and the Einzberns.

The grandfather clock in his room strikes 7 PM.

"My, my, would you look at the time," he comments as he turns his swivelling chair back to its original position and puts the wineglass down.

He gets up while setting his suit straight and heading downstairs to the entrance hall.

Upon arriving, he finds his wife, Aoi, and his two daughters, Rin and Sakura, each with a suitcase. It is time to see them off. After all, it would no longer be safe for them to remain in Fuyuki with the Holy Grail War about to start. They would stay in the next city until the war is over.

It always pains him a little inside to see Sakura. According to mage tradition, only one heir may inherit the family's secrets and magic crest while the other is left in the dust. He has tried to put Sakura up for adoption but there was no other mage family to accept the offer. It is truly a shame to leave her tremendous potential untapped. Alas, it can't be helped.

Tokiomi accompanies them out of the house towards the gate where their car is already waiting. As Aoi loads in their suitcases in the back of the car, Tokiomi crouches down to eye level with Rin.

"Rin," he addresses her. "Once the war is over, I will teach you all about gem magic."

"Really?" Rin says, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, your skills are improving," he replies. "So, I think you are ready for the next level."

His heart sinks as he looks at the expectant Sakura. She beamed at him, waiting to hear something similar.

"Sakura, you go on and be a good girl okay? Support your mother and your sister. I want you to be the one that protects them while I am gone," Tokiomi says this forcefully.

He wants her to feel important even though Rin is the one to inherit the family magics.

He bids each of the three farewells as they get in the car. He watches the vehicle drive off in the distance. Once it is out of sight, he turns around and walks back inside.

Now that they are gone, he is all alone in the Tohsaka mansion. All that is left for him to do now is to summon his Servant for the Holy Grail War. Fortunately, the catalyst he ordered arrived a few hours ago.

He walks downstairs into his workshop which is filled with all kinds of magical tomes, gems, devices, and potions. Each of these items has been handed down through many generations of the Tohsaka bloodline over the centuries. This is nothing short of a small treasury for any mage.

He looks at the catalyst, safely stored in a cushioned box on the table in the center of the room, a piece of an elephant's ivory horn that is over 2.000 years old. A Heroic Spirit from the Age of Gods would be very powerful but after much reconsideration, he has settled for one that is far more obedient and easier to control, despite his class.

He places the catalyst on the pedestal next to the summoning circle that he has prepared. Everything is ready now. Every element is in place. Now, it is finally time for the summoning. However, he will add a few additional lines to the incantation to ensure that the Heroic Spirit he is after will appear.

"For the elements, silver and iron,  
For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of pacts,  
And for my ancestor, the great Master Schweinorg.  
A wall to block the falling wind.  
Close the gate in the four directions.  
Come forth from the Crown, into the forked road leading to the Kingdom.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill,  
Repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it.  
Heed my words,  
My will creates your body,  
And your sword creates my destiny.  
If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me!  
I hereby swear,  
That I shall be all that is good in the world,  
That I shall defeat all evil in the world.  
But let thine eyes be clouded,  
Thou, who are trapped in a cage of madness,  
And I, the summoner, who holds thy chains!  
Thou Seventh Heaven, clad in the three great words of power,  
Come forth from the circle of binding,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

The room is enveloped in blinding light that emerges out of the summoning circle for a brief moment. Once the light dissipates, Tokiomi gazes upon the Heroic Spirit he has summoned.

A hulking brute with pitch-black skin. His upper body is exposed and covered in what appears to be drawings of some kind one-eyed symbol. He wears several golden necklaces, armguards, bracelets, and rings. Around his waist is a torn purple cloak along with a golden armor. If he wouldn't be kneeling, his head would have collided with the ceiling due to his size. The Berserker-class Servant tilts his head to look at his new Master before letting out a growl of acknowledgment.

Tokiomi clasps his hands together. He successfully managed to summon the great rival of the King of Conquerors. Victory is surely within reach now.

* * *

"We have arrived, Mistress," a handmaiden in white robes announces as she pushes open the gate of the castle. "This is the castle that Jubstacheit has secured us for the Holy Grail War."

"Then make haste to set everything up," a woman in a white winter mantle orders the handmaidens. She has long white hair and ruby-red eyes.

"Yes, Mistress!" they reply in unison, carrying several suitcases inside while more of them unload the vehicles.

The Mistress pays her handmaidens not much mind. They are nothing more than tools to her. Homunculi that have been specifically made for serving her and doing her bidding in order to win the Holy Grail War. Every single one of them looks the exact same anyway. Every time she looks at one, it's like looking in a mirror. She is one of them. They are a tool to her just like she is a tool to the Einzberns.

However, she is destined to become a vessel for the Holy Grail. She is destined to realize the long-standing wish of the Einzberns to evoke the Holy Grail. Among the thousands upon thousands of homunculi bred for this very purpose, she was the one specimen to survive. As a result, 60% of her body consists of magic circuits. Surely she would best any other Master in this war in a fight with this much power.

She slowly walks through the entrance hall of the castle located just outside Fuyuki in the forest to become familiar with her new base of operations. She notices many similarities to the castle she has lived her whole life up until this point back in Germany. Her handmaidens rush pass her to set everything up. She just ignores them as she takes in the view. The sound of her footsteps on the marble floor is the same, the color pattern of white with gold lining on the walls is the same, and the furniture is the same as well.

She walks up the stairs to the second floor and takes a look out the window. Though it is somewhat cold outside during this time of the year, it is not nearly as cold as back home and there is not a sign of snow as of yet.

Nevertheless, she is curious about the outside world and the people that live in it. She has only seen glimpses of it after they arrived at the airport here in Japan. There are so many different people and colorful locations. She was never curious about such things before but her interest is piqued now that she got a taste of it. However, the Holy Grail War would come first and foremost. It is her duty after all.

The hours pass by as she walks through the castle and eventually rests in her room, enjoying the quiet moment she has to herself while drinking some tea. Then, a knock on the door can be heard.

"Come in," she says, taking another sip of her tea.

A handmaiden walks in and bows before speaking up, "Everything is ready for the summoning, Mistress."

"And the catalyst?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Arrived just now," the handmaiden responds.

"Very good," she replies, setting down her cup of tea and getting up. "Then let us not waste any time."

A short walk into the sublevel of the castle later, they arrive in the dreary room that has no furniture to speak of. Just a room with dark grey walls with attached candle holders lighting it. In the center was the summoning circle with an empty pedestal behind it.

One of the six handmaidens approaches her Mistress, holding a box out to her.

"I think you will be very pleased, Mistress," she announces. "Jubstacheit went to great lengths to recover this artifact that dates back to the Age of Gods.

"We shall see if that Heroic Spirit is as strong as the legend says. The Avenger-class Servant Angra Mainyu was a failure, let's hope this one is not," she remarks before pulling out a piece of cloth from the box and placing it on the pedestal.

She positions herself on the opposite end before concentrating. Red lines on all visible parts of her body begin to appear and glow as she holds out her hand.

"A base of silver and steel,  
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of contracts,  
And my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg.  
A wall to block the falling wind.  
The gates of all four directions close.  
From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill,  
Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled.  
I hereby propose,  
My will shall create thy body,  
And thy sword shall create my fate.  
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,  
If thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer me!  
I hereby swear,  
I will be all that is good in the eternal world,  
That I shall defeat all evil in the eternal world!  
Thou Seventh Heaven, clad with the Great Trinity,  
Come forth from the circle of constraint,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

A pillar of light shoots out of the summoning circle, making everyone cover their eyes for a second before it disappears. The tension is palpable as everyone looks at the person standing inside the circle now.

The new Mistress of this castle, Isasviel von Einzbern, looks at the Servant she has summoned. She is taken aback for a moment because this Heroic Spirit, though human in appearance, looked too perfect to be considered human.

Clad in white robes with long emerald green hair, the Servant has a blank expression on their face. It is unclear whether the Servant is male or female. Regardless, the Servant emantates raw power. The figure turns towards Isasviel with its piercing eyes. Fiery crimson meeting unyielding turquoise. The Servant bows to their new master.

"Servant, Lancer," the Servant states. "Use me as mercilessly as you like, Master. I do not mind in the slightest."

* * *

Kariya is nothing but a fool. At least that is what his brother Katsuki Matou thinks of him. Kariya has left the family and its magic behind him to start a new life without all of that because he was disgusted by it. Katsuki couldn't wrap his head around that idea. How could one abandon magic? How could one willingly give up power like that? He must have lost his mind or something. And to top it all off, he is also endangering the family with his selfish actions too.

The power of the Matou bloodline has been waning over the last 200 years. It's a miracle that both Kariya and Katsuki were born with magic circuits at all. The practice of passing down the family's magic crest has ceased generations ago. So, all they have now is the knowledge from magecraft books and their crest worms.

Their method of learning thaumaturgy is to carve it into their bodies through the crest worms that they keep in their basement instead of letting the mind absorb the knowledge through learning. Despite its torturous aspect, it is undeniable that it's an efficient method. If you survive, that is.

Now, with the Holy Grail War about to start, it is Katsuki's duty to partake in it and bring victory to the Matou. Not that he has much choice in the matter anyway. Zouken, his grandfather, has gone to great lengths to train Katsuki for this since his brother Kariya ran away like a coward. He has been obsessed with the Holy Grail for as long as Katsuki can think. His years of training have been hard because Zouken is a ruthless teacher. He has endured many physical and psychological trials to get to this point and he couldn't fail now.

He plans to win the Holy Grail by using any tactic necessary. The time has finally come for him to let loose and enjoy himself while crushing the competition.

Katsuki just returned home from his regular stroll through the city, though still intoxicated. He is usually in a good mood after that but the small stains of blood on his clothes bothered him.

If his memory isn't failing him, it's because he got into a fight again. He doesn't quite remember the reason though but whoever it was, he probably deserved it.

After walking upstairs and changing into a fresh set of clothes in his messy room, he does a once-over in the mirror and grins at himself.

Just then, the door to his room opens and his grandfather Zouken walks in. It slightly annoys Katsuki that he doesn't even knock but rather does as he pleases. He stops himself from accidentally mouthing off about it because he fears the consequences. Zouken may look like a crumbling old man that needs a cane just to walk but he is far stronger than he appears. Katsuki found that out the hard way in his early years.

"If you are done frolicking around in the city," Zouken says condescendingly. "You should begin with the preparations to summon your Servant. It's getting late."

"I know," he replies calmly. "I'll be there in a bit."

"Don't take too long, boy," Zouken chides him before leaving the room.

"I'll show him what I'm capable of once I have the Grail in my hands," Katsuki mutters to himself before heading to the basement.

He arrives shortly after in the basement. It's dark, dreary, and reminds him of a morgue with the disgusting stench of something rotten lingering in the air. The basement is currently empty, save for a table that his grandfather has set up there with a couple of things and the occasional crest worm crawling around. In the center of the room is the summoning circle, drawn in blood on the ground.

"I hope you are ready, Katsuki," Zouken announces as he picks up a piece of paper from the table.

"I will not disappoint you, grandfather," he says.

"We'll see about that," Zouken remarks. "Nevertheless, I have procured a very special catalyst just for you. See it as a reward for all your training."

He hands Katsuki the piece of paper, which turns out to be a letter by the looks of it. Katsuki glances over it but can't read its contents since the handwriting on it is questionable. However, he is able to read the name of the person who wrote this letter and smirks at the prospect of how much fun he is going to have with this "Heroic" Spirit.

Placing the catalyst on its intended spot, Katsuki gets into position as he stretches out his right hand. Zouken steps back to give him space.

"Let silver and steel be the essence,  
Let stone and the Archduke of contracts be the foundation,  
And for my ancestor, the great Master Schweinorg.  
Let a wall rise against the falling wind,  
Let the four cardinal gates close,  
Let the three-forked road from the Crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.  
Let it be declared now,  
Your flesh shall serve under me,  
And my fate shall be with your sword.  
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail,  
Answer, if you would submit to this will and truth!  
An oath shall be sworn here,  
I shall attain all virtues of all Heaven,  
I shall have dominion over all evils of all Hell.  
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by the three great words of power,  
Come forth from the ring of restraint,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

A beam of light emanates from the circle which dissipates after a moment. Katsuki looks excited towards the silhouette that is kneeling inside the circle but is covered in smoke. He waits a few moments for it to go away and becomes irritated when it doesn't.

"What's with this smoke?" he says impatiently.

"Fool, that is not smoke," Zouken interjects. "This is fog."

As if on cue, the fog disperses around the Servant, covering the entire ground of the basement knee-deep in it. The Servant, a masked man with a dirty trench coat and a top-hat, raises his head. The coat is torn, ragged almost as if it is battleworn. The scent of fresh blood polluted Katsuki's nose and he sees his Servant holding a knife dripping with blood. The Servant is tall in stature, with an imposingly big figure. Katuski smirks and closed his eyes. This Servant has to be very powerful given that it is an intimidating figure even to him.

When he opens his eyes again, his Servant is nowhere to be found. Startled, he looks around but then feels a cold presence near him.

"Servant, Assassin," a deep voice whispers behind him. "Who do you need me to kill, Master?"

Turning around, Katsuki sees the personification of fear itself staring back at him. The war is his to win if his Servant is able to disappear without a trace, with strength to match his stealth skills.

* * *

Jeanne's footsteps echo on the marble floor as she walks curiously through the mansion. Back in her days, this place would be equivalent to a palace only the nobles or royalty could afford. It is a strange awakening for her. The last thing she remembers is the town of Rouen while drowning in the scorching fire of the stake. It is an outcome she has accepted. She doesn't lament it.

Her new Master, Zayne, is already asleep. She is eager to learn what kind of person her summoner is and about the many things in this era that is so far from the one she grew up in. The Grail only provides basic knowledge to the Servants of the era they are summoned in. Therefore, it is up to each Servant if they want to find out more.

Jeanne comes across several empty boxes that are stacked together in the living room. On the table is the casket where the catalyst for her summoning rests inside. She peeks inside and finds a small white piece of cloth. This is a small part of her flag. She still remembers the first time she took her standard in her hand in the name of the Lord.

After a few more moments of reminiscing, she puts it back to its resting place. Letting her gaze wander over the room one more time, she notices that a case is peeking out of one of the seemingly empty boxes. She walks over to the case and opens it.

She is confused at the contents of the case because she doesn't understand why these items are put together. The first thing is a smaller case with a revolver inside it. The handle of the weapon is black while the rest is colored in a steely silver. The cylinder, however, is colored in a light cyan.

Next is a bigger case that takes up most of the space. Jeanne finds herself unable to open the case, as it requires a number with 4 digits to open its seal.

Judging from two pictures she has found at the bottom after digging deeper, she realizes that this must be her Master's personal memorabilia. The first shows him at a very young age with a man next to him. Her first thought is that it must be his father but then it becomes apparent that they look nothing alike. Zayne's hair is dark brown, matching his eye color while the man has spiky white hair with blue eyes and seems to be of asian descent. The second must be more recent, perhaps 2 years ago. It shows him with a boy of the same age with slicked back black hair and green eyes, both grinning from ear to ear.

The last item is a letter addressed to Zayne. It looks to be several years old and the seal on it is not broken which indicates that he never opened it. She wants to open the letter but it wouldn't be right. She already rummaged through his personal items without permission and she feels bad for doing so.

Taking the photos and the letter to ask him tomorrow, she gets up and resumes her walk through the house but now there are questions lingering at the back of her mind. There seems to be a story behind the people in the photos and the unopened letter.


	4. Summoning of the Heroic Spirits - Part 2

"Professor, may I ask you a question?" Talia asks the elderly man as they walk side by side.

"Certainly," the Professor replies without averting his gaze as he keeps walking.

It is a chilly evening. If she were to be honest, she'd admit that she has so far failed to relate herself to it, even after being here in Fuyuki for a week.

They have wandered through the streets of the rural area of town, there was not a soul to be spotted alongside them.

"Why was there a meeting called so suddenly?" she asks. "And if it's so important, why am I coming along too?"

"It's because of a sensitive matter the Mage's Association has kept quiet about," the man explains as they round the corner. "As for your other question, you're coming with me as a safety precaution."

"Safety precaution?" Talia repeats after her Professor.

"Rest assured, there is no substantial threat to worry about. This matter should be resolved quickly," the Professor concludes, leaving no room for her to ask more questions.

He has only succeeded in worrying her further, even more than she has been before she asked her question.. The fact that the Professor hasn't divulged any details on the matter didn't make it any better, as well. Talia sighs, she has definitely not expected this when she received an offer to participate in an exchange program between the Atlas Institute of Egypt and the Mage's Association to observe the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki.

They arrive at a modest looking mansion in the rural area of the city. The Professor knocks three times on the door, then pauses briefly before knocking two more times. The door opens a few moments later, revealing a man in his late twenties with black hair covering his forehead.

"Ah, Professor Amari," the man smiles as he sees him before his gaze wanders over to the student next to him. "And that must be the ace student of your class if I'm not mistaken. Come in."

"Sir Hendrik, we finally meet in person," the Professor replies as Hendrik ushers both of them in.

Contrary to the outer appearance, the interior of this mansion is set up on the pompous side. Talia simply walks in silently beside the two other mages and follows them to the main hall. There, a table is set up with three other mages already sitting there and having a heated discussion of sorts.

The three of them take a seat at the table and help themselves to the provided drinks. Talia listens to the conversation the others are having. She feels so out of place here. Maybe she should have stayed at home but it's not like she had much choice in the matter. Her parents practically jumped at the idea for the sake of spreading the family's name throughout the mage world. It's too bad that the other two students at Atlas didn't accept the offer because they want to focus on their studies. Talia would had some like-minded company if they came with her.

About half an hour with no progress whatsoever passes before she knows it, they are waiting for the last mage to show up for the meeting. The door finally swings open before a man clad in a navy scholar coat and black pants walks in, his blonde hair swaying with each step.

"Ah, Kayneth," one of the mages at the table greets him. "We were starting to worry that you wouldn't make it."

"I've run into a few minor setbacks to solve regarding the Holy Grail War. It simply took longer than anticipated," Kayneth elaborates

"So you have been chosen then?" Hendrik asks. "Last I heard, five Masters have already been selected by the Grail."

"One of them being nothing but a hired gun," one of the mages scoffs. "Such an embarrassment, is it not?"

"Indeed," Kayneth adds.

Finally, they begin to talk about the reason for their assembly for the night. Several mages have gone missing here in Fuyuki over the last month, leaving no trace behind. There is obviously someone out there targeting these mages as much as the Mage's Association doesn't want to admit it. That individual has been dubbed the "Mage Killer" and the Association hopes to resolve this situation without the help of outsiders to avoid the embarrassment.

Talia is now sure that coming here was definitely not a good idea. Maybe she should request to go back home?

Just then, the door opens amidst the discussion at the table and an aide walks in quietly, walking up to Hendrik and whispering something into his ear. Talia is not quite sure but she is certain she just saw his expression darken for a moment.

Being two seats away from Hendrik, Talia sees him giving the person on his left and right some sort of signal under the table while the conversation gradually seems to die down.

"Talia, listen to me carefully," the Professor whispers to her. "Whatever happens next, you need to get to safety. Go to my house here in Fuyuki, contact the Association, and wait for help. Take the key."

He hands her a key underneath the table after finishing.

"Professor, what is happening?" Talia whispers back to him worriedly.

"That man across the table is  _not_  Kayneth Archibald," he concludes.

The table is suddenly flipped as Kayneth retreats a few meters back to build some distance between him and the rest. The other mages scramble to form a line and thrust their hands toward him as the first begin to mumble an incantation.

"Fervor mei sanguis," Kayneth says as he drops the contents of a phial on the ground.

Various runic spells fly towards the imposter but none of them hit their mark as a massive wall of mercury blocks them. The wall drops a second later and now there are five Kayneths standing there.

Talia does as she is told and makes a run for the nearest door while still processing what is happening. So many questions run through her mind while her survival instinct carries her out of the mansion. She stops at the gate to catch her breath and look back. She was told to get to safety but was it really the right thing to do when they were fighting the Mage Killer? Perhaps the Professor thought that she would be in the way.

Talia is about to continue when she suddenly sees something moving from the corner of her vision. Instinctively, she hurls a piece of the ground at whatever tries to approach her with one swift motion of her hands through her elemental magic.

Her effort proves to be futile, however, as it just passes through what appears to be a human sized shadow.

"A Phantom?!" she gasps as she continues to run away. "Only sunlight and any type of fire magic can kill those familiars. Of course, I don't have any of those things! This day just keeps getting better and better..."

Knowing that she has nothing to deal with the Phantom following her, she runs to the Professor's house. She gets some questioning looks on the way by a few civilians. To them, she probably looks like a student who is late to a party or a date, perhaps. Little do they know that she is running for her life.

She reaches the house after nearly ten minutes and almost bursts through the door after fumbling with the key. Every mage has his workshop set up in the basement. It is something of an unwritten rule almost. Therefore, she immediately runs downstairs.

Panic begins to take over as she can't seem to find anything that could get her out of this situation among the small collection of alchemical potions. A chill runs down her spine as she barely turns around and dodges a swing of the Phantom's clawed hand.

She stumbles backward, over a summoning circle as she is backed into a corner by the Phantom. This is it. She is going to die here all alone with most of her life still ahead of her. She should never have come to Fuyuki. She turns into whimpering mess as she is cornered and forced to watch her inevitable demise come closer and closer to finish her off.

She shuts her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see it at the very least when a sudden pain in her right hand makes her yelp. Strange red markings form on the back of her hand.

Time seems to stop for a moment as the summoning circle next to her sparks to life. A pillar of brilliant radiance shoots forth from the circle, making the Phantom shrink back from the sudden source of light.

The glow is soon replaced by smoke left over the circle. Just as the Phantom was about to continue what it was doing, a ray of sunlight shoots out from the smoke that vaporizes it upon contact.

Talia is just sitting in the corner, motionless, staring towards the source of whatever just saved her. A strange mix of relief and anxiety wash over her at the same time. Relief that the threat to her life is no more and anxiety towards whatever will emerge from the smoke.

It doesn't take long for the smoke to clear and, she stares in awe, unable to believe her own eyes. Standing inside the circle was a tanned man with brown hair. He's wearing a white cloak which is decorated with a broad golden necklace that is inlaid with sapphires on his shoulders. In addition, he wears golden gauntlets adorned with blue flecks and dark gloves. His bare torso is exposed, showcasing his athletic figure. Golden plates protect him around the waist with loosely fitting trousers below that with a piece of cloth in-between that has an intricate gold and blue pattern on it. In his right hand, he holds a heqa sceptre which is a gold and blue staff that is curved at the top.

"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings," he declares high and mighty as he looks at her with his golden colored eyes that shine like the sun itself. "Could you be the one who managed to summon me to this world?"

Talia doesn't respond because she is still processing what had just happened.

"I asked you a question," Ozymandias continues. "Have you not been taught proper etiquette? Especially in the presence of the Pharaoh!"

He takes a few steps towards her and scrutinizes her under his gaze. His eyes land on the Command Seals on Talia's right hand, giving him the answer to his question. Then, he takes in his surroundings, almost as if he is looking for something.

"Answer me," he demands. "What did you use as a catalyst to summon me?"

"C-Catalyst?" Talia fumbles to get the words out. "N-No, I didn't use anything!"

Ozymandias now stares at her, looking for any hint of deceit in her words. After that, he walks around in the basement to confirm what she is saying.

"It seems that you must be an extraordinary mage to be able to summon me, Ozymandias, without a catalyst," he exclaims. "Very well, I shall forgive your prior rudeness due to your talent this once! Follow me, there is much to be done!"

Talia blinks once, twice before asking herself what she has gotten herself into.

* * *

"Captain, stay on this distance to Fuyuki," James speaks into the intercom on his desk.

"Understood, Sir," the man on the other end replies before James lets go of the button.

He takes his glass of champagne and gets up from his desk, letting his gaze wander out the window to the open sea with Fuyuki at the edge of his vision. He prides himself with all the luxuries he has accumulated and he is especially proud of the private yacht that he will use as a base of operations for the Holy Grail War. Just with that alone, he already has an advantage in that he will be difficult to reach for the other Masters and Servants in this war unless they can fly or cross the water undetected.

He takes another look at the Command Seals on his hand and smirks. He always knew that he was destined for greatness, and now, with the Holy Grail having chosen him as a Master, that greatness would be realized. The only thing left for him to do is to summon his Servant, and he has gone to great lengths to procure a very costly artifact, which arrived mere hours ago via helicopter.

He gulps the contents of his glass down before heading to his private workshop downstairs where his workers were preparing the summoning.

Upon arriving, he asks the nearest worker, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Sir!" the man promptly replies.

"Good, then clear the room," James orders.

They do as they are told and file out of the room, leaving their boss alone with the summoning circle and the fossil of the first snake to shed its skin that serves as the catalyst. He accepts nothing but the best. Thus, only the mightiest of Heroic Spirits would be sufficient to him. Stretching out his right hand, he begins the incantation.

"A base of silver and steel,  
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of contracts,  
And my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg.  
A wall to block the falling wind.  
The gates of all four directions close.  
From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill,  
Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled.  
I hereby propose,  
My will shall create thy body,  
And thy sword shall create my fate.  
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,  
If thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer me!  
I hereby swear,  
I will be all that is good in the eternal world,  
That I shall defeat all evil in the eternal world!  
Thou Seventh Heaven, clad with the Great Trinity,  
Come forth from the circle of constraint,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

As expected, the circle produces a ray of light that engulfs the entire room in its brilliance. Once it's gone, James looks at the person standing in the circle.

A man, clad in gold, with hair as luminescent as the sun, glares with his crimson eyes as if he is measuring the Master's worth.

Crossing his arms, the Servant says coldly, "Answer me, are you the insolent mage that dares to make an entreaty upon the king in all his radiance?"

Bowing his head, he replies thus, "My humblest apologies, o great King of Uruk. I humbly implore you to aid me in this battle royale of mages for the Holy Grail. You are without a shadow of a doubt the most powerful hero in this war and can guarantee victory. I know it is impudent of me to ask but I beg you."

The golden Archer ponders over the words of his contractor for a moment.

"Normally, I would not deign to intervene in a petty squabble among mongrels," the Servant states condescendingly. "However, if they dare lay their hands on my treasures, then that's a different matter. Nevertheless, if nothing in this world is worthy of my adoration, you will pay dearly for summoning me and wasting my time, James."

"Please do not worry," James reassures him, his gaze still on the ground. "The Holy Grail will surely be to your liking, King of Heroes."

"That is for me to judge," the King of Heroes replies. "Well, I'll play along with your cajolery for now and amuse myself with some exploring in the meantime."

Gilgamesh looks around for a moment before walking towards the exit.

"Everything of value in this world belongs to me," he states solemnly. "No matter how precious of a treasure this Grail of yours may be, I won't let some lowly mongrels fight over it without my permission. I'll leave the details to you."

With that, he disappears into fine golden dust.

James breathes a sigh of relief once he is gone. It could have gone a little better as far as introductions go but it could have definitely gone far worse as well. He hates being subservient to someone and groveling before them but if that's what it takes to get the Holy Grail, then so be it.

"Well, now that the worst part is over, I can lean back and let him do the work," James comments to himself as he looks down on his Command Seals before going back to his drink.

* * *

"Y-You low-class scum!" Kayneth coughs out as he slowly crawls on the ground towards a shelf across the room. "You will rue the day you were born when I am finished with you! I won't let you die that easily. I will use healing magic to regenerate your heart and lungs while I tear up every inch of your flesh!"

"Have you ran out of insults now?" a man with silver hair that reaches down to his shoulders asks as he walks up to him before stomping on Kayneth's hand.

Kayneth suppresses the urge to scream from the pain. He doesn't want to give that person the satisfaction of it.

"Now, any last words? I will grant you one final request," the silver-haired man states calmly.

Kayneth stares daggers at the person who managed to get the better of him, in his home turf no less. He looks so angry that a vein might pop at any moment.

"I suppose that you want to know my name so that you can curse it in your final moments like so many others did before," the man continues. "Very well then. My name is Nicolas Hawthorne."

After saying that, Nicolas crouches down and snaps his neck, ending his life.

"Another piece cleared from the board," he mutters to himself.

Getting back up, he takes stock of the current situation. One week of work finally paid off. Kayneth's atelier spans the entire floor in this skyscraper with dozens of traps, ghosts and evil spirits acting as guard dogs as its defenses. However, no defense is completely flawless and the solution to anything can hide in plain sight.

A man such as Kayneth demands only the finest of housing, and fine housing needs high maintenance. Therefore, impersonating the janitor that has access to the floor without getting killed by its mechanisms was a simple yet effective solution. Any standard mage would view such a tactic as cowardly but Kayneth never saw it coming, until it was far too late.

Nicolas walks over to the shelf that Kayneth tried to reach. There, he finds a phial with a silver liquid inside.

He looks back to the now deceased Kayneth as he takes the phial in his hand and says, "A shame that you were unable to use your strongest and most prized weapon, Volumen Hydrargyrum. You would have probably killed me if you'd have reached it."

Following that, he walks over to Kayneth's desk and rummages for a few minutes through his documents until he finally finds what he is looking for. An invitation to a secret meeting between a handful of mages to discuss how they are going to get rid of the rumored "Mage Killer", to discuss how they are going to get rid of him.

Time is running short as he sees that the meeting will take place in less than an hour, meaning he won't have time to properly cover his tracks and dispose of the two bodies lying around here. It can't be helped. This meeting is a rare opportunity to take out five mages with one strike.

He walks back to Kayneths body while pulling out another phial from the inner pocket of his coat with a transparent liquid. He rips of a lock of Kayneth's hair and inserts it into the phial. The liquid turns yellow as a result. Then, Nicolas takes a deep breath before he gulps it down in one go.

The effect starts to kick in. His hair becomes gradually shorter and changes its color to blonde, his face shifts and contorts while he holds onto the nearby shelf to support himself. After the pain of the transformation subsides, he lets out a sigh before looking into a mirror. He now looks exactly like Kayneth Archibald.

"Testing, testing," he says to make sure that his voice also changed.

The only thing left to do is to walk over to the wardrobe so that his impersonation of Kayneth is complete.

* * *

"Scalp!" Nicoals shouts, still looking like Kayneth Archibald.

The Mystic Code Volumen Hydrargyrum shoots out several tendrils, all of them hit a barrier the last mage standing has erected. The blob of mercury continues its relentless assault until the barrier breaks and the mage is lacerated and falls to the ground.

"Receptum," Nicolas says to the mercury blob.

The Mystic Code retreats into the small phial it came out of before he puts the cork back on it.

If only he wouldn't have been so late to the meeting. They have probably sent someone over to Kayneth's apartment to check up on him while Nicolas was on the way here. A pity. He could have handled this much more delicately if only he had more time.

The deed is done. The gathered mages are no more. Unfortunately, a little girl managed to get away amidst all this chaos. Nicolas has sent a Phantom after her to eliminate her as well during a brief respite in the battle.

Sudden coughing grabs his attention. One of the mages is still alive, although just barely. He walks over to him and looks down on him wordlessly. His eyes showing neither compassion nor hatred.

"Y-You-" the man coughs as he lays in a pool of blood.

"Complacency breeds death," Nicolas elaborates. "You mages thought that if you were gathered you would be safe. Pathetic. Additionally, if the five of you would have worked together as a team you would have bested me but that's not how a mage thinks, right? Every mage to himself. That is your number one rule. Predictable as always."

The mage dies moments later from the loss of blood. Nicolas begins to clean up the mess he has made when he suddenly stops and clutches his forehead. His face starts to shift again and his hair becomes longer while changing its color back to silver. The effect of the shapeshifting elixir is wearing off. A few minutes later, he reverts back to his true appearance.

At that moment, his right-hand starts to ache horribly. He takes off his glove and sees Command Seals manifesting on the back of his hand.

"Finally," he mutters.

His work finally paid off. He has been killing mages over the past month here in Fuyuki to thin out the pool of possible candidates the Holy Grail could choose. The girl that escaped earlier doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is his goal. It doesn't matter if he has to walk over one or a hundred corpses to reach it but there is only one thing left to do for today.

He uses the abundance of blood on the ground to draw a summoning circle. After checking that everything is in order, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out an old book that he places in the spot for the catalyst. He is not planning to defeat his opponents in this war with brute force or overwhelming power, but with tactical superiority and precise hits. Therefore, this Servant should do the job just fine.

"For the elements, silver and iron,  
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of contracts,  
And for my ancestor, the great Master Schweinorg.  
A wall to block the falling wind.  
Close the gate in the four directions.  
From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill,  
Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled.  
I hereby propose,  
My will shall create thy body,  
And thy sword shall create my fate.  
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,  
If thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer my call!  
I hereby swear,  
I will be all that is good in the eternal world,  
That I shall defeat all evil in the eternal world!  
Thou Seventh Heaven, clad with the Great Trinity,  
Come forth from the circle of binding,  
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

The room is filled with light that the summoning circle emanates. Once the resulting smoke clears out, the man crosses his arms behind his back to look at the Servant that he manifested.

A pale human with dark purple slicked back hair stands in the circle, clad in black and red robes. He carries himself with elegance judging from his posture.

"Thou who hath summoned me under the class of Caster," he says with a smile that hides something sinister underneath it as he bows formally. "I ask of you, are you ready to make a deal with the Devil?"

A memory floats up to the surface of Nicolas's mind. A memory that dates many years back and with it the valuable lesson he has learned.

Never make a bargain with a demon you intend to keep.

Caster extends his hand with a sly grin.

"By the power of my Command Seal," Nicolas announces as he raises his right hand in front of him. "I order you, Caster, to never use your Noble Phantasm on me."

One Command Seal disappears from his hand once the order is given. A wave of red energy is emanated that hits Caster who is taken by surprise.

"Interesting," Caster comments, regaining his composure. "But I suppose it wouldn't be any fun if things were to already conclude after my summoning."

"I know all about how you tempted a scholar down your path, Mephistopheles," Nicolas states. "This is merely insurance to keep you in check."

"Ha, very well," Caster replies. "It appears I have been drawn by quite the… peculiar Master. Now then, what will be our first order of business?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**My apologies for the delay on this chapter. On the bright side, ZilverHope is joining me for this story alongside erenatnier. A big thanks to these guys and do check out their works if you have the time :)**


	5. The Opening Shot

Jeanne D'Arc. A holy maiden whose name is known not just in her homeland of France, but throughout the world. She left her home at the age of 17 on a journey of salvation and ended up as a hero who saved France. However, she was burned at the stake at the age of 19 by the British.

It's crazy to think that the very same person is walking right next to me. I suppose that's just the nature of a Holy Grail War.

Her stats are very good. The Saber class isn't regarded as the strongest of the seven for nothing.

_STR: B_  
AGL: A  
LUK: C  
END: B  
MP: A  
NP: A++

I'm well rested but that's because I woke up a little later than I wanted to. Thankfully, I have also been spared the nightmares this time around.

A little breeze blows by as we walk through the center of Fuyuki. It's noon now, so the city is bustling with people going about their business. We've been out for a few hours to get acquainted with Fuyuki and taking note of places of interest where one could set up a fight beforehand. Well, me more so than Jeanne.

She is rather fascinated with the modern-day world. The way her eyes light up and her lips part at all the marvelous inventions of modern technology or the skyscrapers and other lofty buildings that would have been impossible back in her day is reminiscent of a child on a field trip. I can't say I blame her though, I might probably do the same if I were in her position.

I glance over to her as we walk down the street. She insisted to accompany me in physical form instead of being in spirit form. So, we had to get her normal clothes as she can't just walk around in her battle dress in public for obvious reasons.

She's wearing a blue blazer with a white blouse underneath, a matching blue tie, short pants and thigh high stockings. She is walking while her braided ponytail swings behind her.

It was kind of funny to see the shop clerk's confused face when one person walked into the store but two walked out. I assured him that he must have just missed her walking in.

"Have you adjusted?" I ask.

"Yes. Although, I must admit: the first few hours after my summoning were strange," she says, her amethyst-colored eyes peering into mine. "It is quite surprising to be summoned as a Saber."

"In which class did you expect to be summoned, then?" I say. She looks down on her feet.

"A special class called Ruler," she responds. "It is one that-"

"Acts as an arbitrator during a Holy Grail War?" I interject.

"You have heard of it?" she says surprised.

"Yes, I've read about it a little when I was looking up the Avenger class during my research," I explain.

"Why were you researching the Avenger class? It is not a type of Servant that normally takes part in a Holy Grail War," she says.

"Looking it up while reading on the past Holy Grail War," I shrug. "Anyways, you've got a sword - why shouldn't you be a Saber?"

"I have no wish for the Grail," she tells me.

"You what?" I blurt out.

I thought only Servants that have some desire or wish for the Grail can be summoned in the first place. This might be a problem. I have no guarantee that she will give one-hundred percent to a Holy Grail War she has no stake in.

Jeanne, as if she read my mind, continues: "Don't worry, Master. Even if I do not have a wish, I will do everything to the best of my ability to help you. Remember that I made a vow to protect you and lead you to the right path."

"Right..." I respond.

If only words were enough to convince me. I am aware of who she is and what she stands for. Still, a part of me refuses to trust anyone that easily, and for good reason. Your worst enemies are the ones you never see coming.

We stop and wait for the traffic light to turn green to cross the road.

"Oh, that reminds me," she says as she turns to me again. "What is your wish for the Holy Grail?"

"Does it matter?" I answer.

"Of course, I need to know what we are fighting for!" she exclaims.

"It's something I'd prefer not to talk about-" is the best answer I can come up with as the traffic light turns green and we continue walking.

I glance over to her and see an unreadable expression on her face. She's raising an eyebrow and looking at me as if she is searching for something. I'm not sure what to make of it.

"I can assure you that it's nothing evil," I add. "You have my word."

She narrows her eyes and looks wordlessly at me for a moment. Then, she nods, seemingly satisfied.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I ask.

"No," she shakes her head and smiles at me. "I will trust in your words."

Just like that? She can't see through me or something, can she?

After a couple more minutes, a certain smell catches my attention. The aroma of molten cheese. I look to the left and see a pizzeria there. My stomach growls as if on cue. I haven't noticed how much time has passed and how hungry I've gotten until now.

"Let's take a break, shall we?" I suggest as I point at the nearby pizzeria.

"Yes." She smiles.

* * *

I'd say this day has been fairly productive. We've managed to get around most parts of Fuyuki and have a pretty good image of the city now. Knowing the battlefield is an important part of a war. This will be the foundation upon which my strategy will be built for the coming weeks.

It's getting dark and we're already on the way home. I think I've got a decent picture of the Heroic Spirit I am working with now as well. She's kind, curious, and polite. The only thing I have yet to see is her in action against another Servant which brings me to my next point.

Information against the other Masters and Servants in this Holy Grail War is vital. At the very least, I am confident that the three local mage families are participating again just as they did in the previous wars. That leaves three other Masters unaccounted for. The Servants will be a much more difficult matter. Observation will be key to figure out their identity. Everything from how they are dressed, their weapons, their fighting style, and their manner of speech.

This almost feels like another mission. Scouting, gathering intelligence, making a plan of attack, and finally eliminating the targets.

"Hey, Master," Jeanne says as she skips ahead and stops in front of me.

"Hm?" I mutter.

"Would you try smiling?" she asks as she leans a bit forward and smiles herself as if to show me how it's done.

"Where'd that come from?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You're always so doom and gloom - as if god himself has forsaken you," she says. "You should definitely smile more."

I don't know how to respond to that, so I just play along and force a smile. A smile that I've built up over time to pretend that I'm alright while I'm hanging out at the Clock Tower. I don't need anyone's pity or advice over what happened a year ago.

"That is not a real smile at all!" Jeanne says.

She leans in a little closer now. What is she doing? I just stand there, looking at her amethyst colored eyes as she moves her hands up to my face and moves the corners of my mouth a little upwards to form a smile herself. She lets go a few moments later, seemingly unsatisfied with the result.

"What was that for?" I ask her once my higher brain functions have resumed working again.

She saw right through me.

"That was-" she begins but suddenly turns around, knitting her eyebrows and narrowing her eyes on something up ahead.

My eyes quickly snap towards the same direction and we both see it. Standing about 30 meters ahead of us is a three-meter tall black brute. He has his upper body exposed, covered in weird drawings or tattoos of some kind and wears a torn purple cloak around his waist. He wields 2 massive gold and black axes in each hand that look like torches with a blade attached to the side. The small fire burning on the tops glows in an ominous green.

Next to the obvious Servant stands a man wearing a black cloak with a hood to cover up his face. He's also wearing gloves to cover up his Command Seals just like I do.

Not bad.

I focus my gaze back on the Servant to check out his stats.

_STR: A_  
AGL: B  
LUK: D  
END: A+  
MP: E  
NP: A

Judging from those stats and his appearance, it's safe to assume that this is Berserker. Jeanne's battle dress materializes and she draws her sword, waiting for the enemy to make a move.

"Saber, this is your chance to show me what you can do," I whisper to her. "I'll take Berserker's Master."

"Leave it to me," she responds. "And please be careful, Master."

"Go, Berserker!" the Master says.

With that, Berserker charges straight towards us and raises his axes as he does so. Jeanne takes a few steps forward and readies her sword, almost as if she is going to take the hit head-on.

Berserker closes in on her and goes for an overhead swing with both axes. As they come down, Jeanne jumps through the small gap between both axes over Berserker, readying her sword now for a wide swing at Berserker.

The axes come crashing down on the street, embedding themselves into it making several small bits fly all over the place. He won't be able to get them back out in time to parry Jeanne's attack.

Berserker lets go of his axes and holds his arms protectively in front of him in a cross, blocking Jeanne's sword with his bracelets.

So much for Berserkers being madmen who lost their ability to think.

Jeanne lands a few meters away from Berserker as they separate. Berserker rips his axes out of the street before letting out a thunderous roar as he charges at her again. The green fire on his axes burns brighter as he does so and sets the blades of each on fire not long after.

He pushes her back into the nearby forest where they soon disappear from my view. I trust that she can handle herself. I've got my own problem to deal with now.

I look at Berserker's Master again who is still standing where he was before. He isn't saying anything or moving at all. Is he waiting for me to take the initiative? Whoever this guy is, he must be pretty confident in his abilities. Let's put it to the test.

I draw my revolver underneath my trench coat in the blink of an eye and fire the first shot.

My shot fails as I see the bullet bounce on the ground moments later. The man is now holding three Black Keys in his right hand, one each between his fingers.

Only members of the Holy Church or people associated with them have access to these weapons. Is this one of their executors? Turns out this priest from the church I met before can't be trusted, go figure.

Great, now what do I do? He can deflect my bullets with ease and if he really is an executor, he'll outmatch me in close quarters combat. I had hoped not to reveal my trump card this early in the war but it looks like I won't have a choice at this rate.

The man brings out another three Black Keys in his left hand and runs towards me now at incredible speed. I barely manage to dodge to the side as he stabs right where my head has been mere moments ago. He quickly follows it up with a kick to my abdomen at an almost inhuman speed, kicking me a few meters backward. I feel like I got the air kicked out of me as I gasp mid-flight.

I roll a little on the ground and immediately get up before firing more shots at him. Of course, he deflects them. His advantage at close range is enormous. I have to keep him at a distance. I quickly reload as he begins to run at me again.

One. Two. Three. All deflected.

I reach into my trench coat with my free hand while I fire the remaining three shots at him.

I pull the pin on a flashbang...

* * *

Berserker slams both his axes into the ground, creating a forward-moving shockwave. Jeanne jumps over the wave which takes down several trees in its wake before parrying two more swings of Berserker's axes.

Berserker attempts wide swings that almost looks as if he is spinning. Jeanne can't parry sheer force like that and opts to dodge to the side. This proves to be a mistake, however, as Berserker uses that to kick her with his leg. She barely manages to hold her sword defensively in front of her but is sent flying backward into a tree.

Berserker uses the momentum and quickly closes the gap before jumping into the air and attempting to deliver one great overhead swing. Jeanne comes to her senses quickly enough and tumbles to the side. The tree she was leaning against a moment ago is now completely shattered by both axes and replaced by a crater as chunks of wood scatter around the battlefield.

Berserker continues his relentless assault, wildly swinging both axes in front of him as he rushes in yet again like a train.

Despite his appearance and supposed lack of intelligence, Jeanne can see a pattern in his swings. Diagonal cut with the right, horizontal with the left, horizontal with the right, diagonal with the left, and repeat. Paired with her tactical awareness, she can predict his exact movements and begins to run at him to meet him halfway.

Just as they are about to collide, Jeanne slides underneath Berserker and strikes at his left heel with her sword as she passes by. Berserker roars from the pain as his charge slows down while Jeanne gets back up.

They are now 20 meters apart from each other. Berserker looks down on his left foot as if to ascertain the damage done to him. He then points one of his axes towards his adversary and mumbles something incoherent.

Out of the ground in front of the brute, four human skeletons rise from the ground, all wearing matching golden armor with purple cloaks as him. Two are armed with swords while the others are wielding halberds. Raising the dead from their slumber is something Jeanne can't forgive. No matter who it is, their souls deserve to rest in peace.

He says something incoherent again.

The undead soldiers charge at that command at Jeanne. She parries the strikes of the swordsmen with ease as they pass by her before the remaining two attempt to use the range of their halberds with several quick jabs. Jeanne eludes their attacks by sidestepping every single blow. The skeletons begin to circle her after their initial attack failed.

Following that, they try to attack her all at once but Jeanne swiftly ducks out of the way and cuts down two of them with one strike each in a twirling motion.

The remaining two soldiers fall shortly after their brethren once their numbers are reduced. Jeanne looks around and, her eyes wide in shock as she notices that Berserker is missing.

* * *

I got the timing just right and blinded this guy momentarily. I have to capitalize on this moment while I can.

I pay the favor back and deliver a roundhouse kick to his stomach while pulling out a knife. I try to finish this here and now by stabbing him in the heart but he blocks my arm even though he is unable to see at the moment. I try again and again but he blocks it every damn time.

The blinding effect is going to wear off any moment now. Shit, I am out of time and almost out of options.

I've got no choice. I build some distance between us and reload my revolver. Then-

Loud stomping interrupts my train of thought, I turn to the left and see Berserker charging out of the forest... directly towards me?!

He prepares his axes as he draws closer. There is no way I can take such a hit with my body remaining in one piece.

_Time Alter: Double Accel!_

Time slows down as I jump out of the way. The blade of one of the axes grazes the tip of my hair as it passes by. I could even see my own reflection in the blade of the axe. That was way too close for comfort.

Berserker barely misses and comes to a halt not long after that while I stumble backward and land on the cold and rock hard ground. A sense of terror washes over me as I stare down this behemoth before me. My mind is racing, trying to come up with something to get me out of this situation.

I can't outrun or outmaneuver Berserker at this point. By the time I could issue an order via Command Seal to summon Saber to me I'll be dead. This is it. Looks like I'll be the first to go out in this war.

As Berserker attempts to end my life with one final strike, a flash of blue appears between us.

Berserker's axes clash with Jeanne's sword.

"Are you alright, Master?" she asks me in a strained tone.

"I'm still alive, thanks to you," I reply as I quickly get up.

Berserker's Master isn't doing anything by the looks of it. He is just standing in the back, observing the scene in front of him. He could end me if he'd press the attack, so why isn't he?

Their blade lock ends and they separate with about 15 meters between them now. Berserker swings one of his axes from left to right into the air and six undead soldiers rise from the ground in front of him. Armed with spears and long shields, they form a line in front of Berserker.

I see Jeanne gripping her sword with both hands, drawing her right foot slightly back and ask her, "Do you think we can win this fight? I wouldn't mind retreating."

She turns her head towards me and says with a determined and unyielding look in her eyes, "Trust in me, Master!"

"Alright," I reply. "Do what you think is best."

With that, Jeanne raises her sword into the air and exclaims, "O Lord, lend me your strength!"

A pillar of fire comes down from the sky right above her which is soaked up by her sword. It gives off a radiant glow like the rising sun in the dawn. Then, she swings it downwards until it points towards Berserker and a beam of fire shoots out of it.

The undead soldiers thrust their shields forward to protect their summoner but their defensive wall gets obliterated by the fire as if it were made of paper. Berserker's eyes widen as his last defense falls shortly before the fire hits him directly. He lets out a guttural roar like a wounded beast.

Once the fire subsides, I get a look at what happened with Berserker. His complete front side is charred but he is still standing and there is a lingering stench of burnt flesh that reaches my nostrils. I have to admit, it's pretty impressive and dreadful at the same time that he took an attack of such magnitude and survives.

"Berserker, retreat!" his Master says.

The Servant immediately turns on his heel and runs towards his Master, picks him up, sets him on his shoulders, and makes a giant leap away from here. Once they are out of sight, Jeanne lets out a heavy sigh and her body slackens as her battle dress dematerializes into fine blue glowing particles.

"Phew, I managed to make it, somehow," she comments.

"Are you alright, Saber?" I approach her.

"I am. Thank you for your concern, Master," she smiles before seemingly examining me. "And you?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I shrug it off.

Well, except for that kick to the gut but let's not talk about that even though I can still feel the pain from that. Berserker's Master is a dangerous man though. I could get glimpses of his face underneath the hood but I won't be able to recognize him if I see him. More importantly, the church can not be trusted to be as neutral as they claim. That man was clearly one of their executors, which means that he is getting information from the church directly. In other words, he didn't just happen to stumble upon Jeanne and me here. No, this was planned. I'll have to repay the favor later.

"Let's go home, Master," Jeanne suggests, bringing me back to the here and now.

"Agreed. We can discuss what we learned about Berserker and his Master later," I conclude before we go our way.

This evening has been an experience in and of its own. Seeing the sheer destructive force during the fight between Jeanne and Berserker makes me self-conscious about just how powerful Servants are. An entire section of this road is completely shattered or molten while at least a dozen trees have been felled in the nearby forest.

And not just the Servants, the Masters aren't to be underestimated either. This was just one out of six and I got my ass handed to me. If anything, this was a wakeup call for me to be even more careful and thorough in my planning if I intend to live through this. That reminds me...

"Saber, I apologize," I begin. "It was wrong of me to doubt you earlier. I would be dead now if it weren't for you."

She looks at me in surprise for a moment before it is replaced by a sweet smile, "Ah, I was just doing my duty. To be honest, I should have arrived there sooner. I was careless, and because of that, you were needlessly in danger."

"I guess it doesn't matter as long as it works out in the end," I comment before silence settles in.

Should I also answer her other question? I don't know. Ah, whatever. I guess there's no harm in telling her.

"My parents," I mumble.

"Hm?" she utters with a puzzled look.

"My wish for the Grail," I elaborate while avoiding to look at her. "I want to know who and where my parents are. It's nothing as grand or ambitious as world conquest or unlimited power. Laugh at me if you want but that's all I'm going to say on the matter."

I peek to the side to gauge her reaction. Surprisingly, she has just a content smile on her lips and doesn't say anything either. When I look at her like this it's… kind of adorable.

"What's with that look?" I question her.

"Nothing, it is just that your wish shows great humanity," she replies.

"Whatever you say," I conclude.


	6. Preparations

"In conclusion," Kirei says. "I don't believe that Saber's Master poses any threat to us in the long run."

It's been about half an hour now since Kirei returned with Berserker from his fight with Saber.

"I see," Tokiomi replies, cupping his chin in thought. "Well, that pretty much matches what I could find out about Saber's Master."

"If I may raise a question," Kirei speaks up from the seat across the table in Tokiomi's office. "The original plan was to force Saber to use her Noble Phantasm but I could have ended her Master's life on several occasions. I could go after him tomorrow and finish him off."

"That will not be necessary, Kirei," Tokiomi elaborates after taking a sip from his tea. "We got plenty of information from that encounter. Though Saber did not use her Noble Phantasm to the fullest, we now know of her identity. Furthermore, we should keep Saber and her Master alive in case there is a Servant in this war that Berserker cannot defeat but she might."

"What are your next orders, my teacher," Kirei asks.

"I want you to scout the city for the remaining Masters but do not engage them," Tokiomi answers. "I doubt that the Einzberns and Matous are stupid enough to walk out in the open."

"Understood," Kirei says as he gets up. "I will report back if I find someone."

Tokiomi nods. "Berserker will need some time to recover. Until then, we must observe and adjust our battle strategy accordingly. I will talk to Father Risei and see if there have been any new developments."

* * *

"No! Stay away from me! I -" the young man cries in desperation as he is grabbed by the throat and raised half a meter into the air.

His attacker slams him into the cold and wet ground of this dark alley they are in and pulls out a knife from his coat. One quick slash later, the nearby wall is painted with a fine line of red fluid while the victim lets out one last groan of pain and ceases all movement.

"Finally quit kickin'," his attacker says in a deep voice. "Now, sleep."

The eyes and fingers of the victim twitch for a bit as the last bit of his life ebbs away.

"Hey, Assassin," Katsuki says. "Are you done with this one?"

The Servant slices the victim's belly open with surgical precision and reaches with his hand inside, paying no mind that his clothes are getting stained from the blood. Katsuki leans against the nearby wall and watches patiently while pulling out a cigarette.

A minute later, Assassin gets up and cleans his knife on the lower end of his own ragged, dark grey coat. The blood leaves a stain on his clothing which vanishes on its own after a few seconds. He turns the knife in his hand a few times and looks over its clean blade before putting it away.

"Who's next?" Assassin asks his Master.

"Uh, I don't really care," Katsuki replies, walking towards the mutilated victim. "Go and kill whoever you like as long as you get stronger from the extra intake of mana."

"Understood," Assassin replies before vanishing in the surrounding fog.

Katsuki lights his cigarette after fumbling with the lighter and looks down on the corpse as if this is normal.

He crouches down and reaches into the victim's pocket to take his wallet. Upon taking a look inside, a small smile creeps on his lips as he sees the contents and silently counts the cash. Not even bothering to give the dead man another look, he leaves the alley.

* * *

Nicolas looks down on the palm of his right hand, reminiscing about a simpler time, about days long gone.

" _No, what are you doing? Shut it down, I'm still inside!"_

His fist hits the blast door in front of him that leads out of a closed, circular room with walls of reinforced steel again and again but it is ultimately futile. Then, a mechanism behind him inside the room begins to rotate and emanate a blinding light as various symbols on the ground appear in a circle. The more momentum it builds up, the louder it gets, and his chances of escaping are drowned out.

And then, silence.

...

"Your familiars have been modified, Master," Caster says as he approaches him from behind.

Nicolas awakes from his reverie. A red-eyed raven lands on his shoulder. He opens the window he is standing in front of and the raven flies out, followed by another two dozen behind it.

He closes the window, turning to face his Servant again. "Is the rest ready?"

"Almost," Caster replies. "Soon, we will have eyes and ears in all parts of the city."

"Very well," he says.

"Let us pass the time while my diligent bees do the work shall we?" he replies, gesturing for Nicolas to follow.

Despite the fact that Caster is no longer able to use his Noble Phantasm on his own Master, Nicolas has to stay on guard against him nonetheless. He is the devil that exploits human desire for his own entertainment and benefit for a good reason.

There once was a scholar whose thirst for knowledge seemed to have no limit despite having studied everything there was available at the time. So, he made a pact with a demon that promised to grant him all of his wishes in exchange for his soul.

The scholar falls down the rabbit hole and becomes increasingly reliable on the demon's power to get what is basic human desire craves. It was never enough. He always wanted more until he completely lost his soul to the demon, ruining several lives in the process.

The irony is that he proudly exclaimed at the beginning that his lust isn't easily fulfilled, yet he fell so far to the most basic of human desires such as greed and lust.

They walk out of the side room into a marvelous and prestigious restaurant worthy of a king. The floors are carpeted in red as far as the eye can see, the columns are decorated in a floral golden pattern, and the tables are all neatly arranged.

A few people are still walking about. They each wear a black pleated vest with a dress shirt underneath and a bow tie, indicating them to be the staff of this establishment. Every one of them has a neutral expression with a blank look in their eyes. If the eyes are the window to the soul, then their eyes would be like peering into an endless emptiness where no life can be found.

Nicolas makes his way over to the bar and takes a seat with Caster right next to him.

"Barkeeper, would you kindly pour us a round?" Caster asks.

The barkeeper, wearing a fancy suit with a red bow tie, takes out two glasses and fills them with one of the many beverages on the shelf behind him. He puts them on the counter in front of his two customers.

Caster claps twice and announces, "That'll do for today. Those of you who have someone waiting for them can go home. I expect you bright and early here tomorrow. The rest go upstairs to continue on my workshop."

The majority of the people walks towards the exit of the restaurant, the remaining handful of people go the other way towards the stairs.

"You seem unfazed by the fact that these innocent lives are in the palm of my hand," Caster mutters nonchalantly as he peers into his crimson glass of rosé.

"Not in the slightest," Nicolas replies.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I do this?" Caster asks.

He materializes a small spectral orb in his hand.

He begins to close his hand around the orb which gives in under the pressure. Then, one of the people around them falls to the ground and grasps at his chest frantically. He writhes like a worm on a hook as he gasps for air as if he is suffocating.

"They're like puppets. I pull their strings, and then, they dance," Caster remarks as he looks at the squirming human. "This one has a wife and a child, if I recall correctly."

"As long as our progress isn't hindered by it, go ahead," Nicolas says as he takes a sip from his drink without so much as looking at him.

"That would be very counterproductive now, wouldn't it?" Caster responds as he opens his hand and the orb vanishes.

The man gets up from the ground and continues as if nothing happened.

"So, what is your wish for the Holy Grail, o' Master of mine?" Caster asks, savoring his own drink.

Nicolas pauses for a moment and looks down on the drink in front of him. His wish, his motivation behind all of this is quite ironic considering who his Servant is.

Caster narrows his eyes as a sly grin begins to creep onto his face, "Oh, is that a secret I sense there?"

"No such thing," Nicolas replies. "But that topic is a can of worms I'd rather not open up at this time."

"Oh, but we have the entire evening to ourselves," Caster says dramatically, gesturing toward their surrounding environment that is now deserted. "You said it yourself. We will lean back and observe the other Masters and Servants to discern their strengths and weaknesses."

"I won't fall for your manipulation, Mephisto," Nicolas says, taking another sip. "Unlike other humans you have tempted and seduced, I know exactly what I am dealing with."

"As if that is going to stop me," Caster says. "Every human has a desire to be exploited. The more you struggle, the more rewarding it will be. In fact, I welcome this as a challenge."

"You may try as long as you don't lose sight of what's important here," Nicolas concludes. "I will do whatever it takes to claim the Holy Grail."

* * *

Talia still can't understand how everything led up to this. It all started with a simple exchange program between the Atlas Institute and the Mage's Association. Then, her professor along with a few other mages was murdered and as if that was not enough, she accidentally summoned a Servant and became a Master in this Holy Grail War while she was running for her life.

"Although I am a perfect being and a pharaoh, it is not bad to have a change of clothes from time to time. You are a considerate one," the man walking next to her states.

Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, is one of Egypt's greatest heroes and the third Pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty. He made peace with the Hittites and brought prosperity to ancient Egypt during his long reign. Having such an important historical figure with her, from her own country of origin no less, is pretty daunting on top of his intimidating demeanor.

He conducts himself as a god and pharaoh in a way that feels as natural as breathing. He holds his head high and always has a straight posture which makes him seem unapproachable. His voice carries the charisma and authority of a seasoned leader and ruler, almost like a hypnotic spell.

Still...

"Nevertheless, whether or not you survive as my Master is up to me. You have to show me that you are worthy," Ozymandias continues. "After all, it will be I who will win this war with your help. Not the other way around. Do not be mistaken about that."

If there is no catalyst used for the summoning, the Heroic Spirit summoned is one similar to the summoner's personality but they couldn't be any more different. He is brimming with confidence and authority while she is just...

"Yes, my Pharaoh..." she responds, lowering her gaze to the ground.

Having just exited a clothing store that was just about to close for the day to get him modern clothes as he ordered her, Talia takes this brief moment to catch her breath.

Ever since she summoned him to this world, she couldn't catch a break. Of course, she has contacted the Mage's Association as her Professor told her to and the response was mind-boggling for lack of a better term.

Seeing as there has been no more communication from her Professor or any of the other mages since that night, they are presumed to be dead while the Association investigates further. The worst thing though is that when she contacted her family and explained the situation to them, they told her to remain there and win the Holy Grail War for the family's glory.

Talia rubs her forehead from this fatigue and takes a deep breath. Her Servant is a powerful one but it doesn't make this whole situation any less dangerous.

Ozymandias seems to have finished inspecting his new outfit even though he still stands out to some degree.

He wears black jeans with a matching jacket and shoes. There is nothing underneath the jacket though except for the golden necklace around his neck. So, his chest is exposed for all to see. It's a good thing that Servants can't catch colds because nobody would run around with such scarce clothing this time of the year.

That being said, conversation with Ozymandias has been limited to him asking her various questions about this era which she has answered as best as she could. Though Servants receive knowledge about the era they are summoned in from the Grail to avoid a culture shock, Ozymandias is more interested in the finer details that the Grail doesn't provide. Namely the current state of the world, ongoing wars or conflicts, and disparity between various nations.

Ozymandias continues to walk with his Master a few steps behind him. He scans his surroundings as if to judge them or compare them to that of his own era. Everything from the design of modern buildings and their functionality to the pavings of the road. Talia gazes at the night sky, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

"By the way," Ozymandias speaks up. "What is your wish upon the Holy Grail?"

Talia's eyes are drawn back to the ground. She doesn't have an answer to that.

"I... uhm," she fumbles with her words. "I'm supposed to win the Grail for my family."

"Fool," he replies. "I asked what  _you_ wish to do with it. The affairs of your family are trivial to me."

"I... don't have a wish," she responds.

She silently prays that he won't take that as an insult or that she may be lying to him for whatever reason. She'd be lying if she said that she isn't scared of him though.

"Hmph, I see," he utters.

Talia is dumbfounded at that simple response. He has been acting all high and mighty the entire time and speaking like a god that descended upon the earth.

Silence settles in again and Talia wonders where they are even going. She doubts if even he knows where they are going. Perhaps he just wants to see more of this era.

After nearly half an hour of walking, Ozymandias suddenly comes to a stop and Talia nearly stumbles into him but caught herself just in time. She looks around inside the now empty park they are in.

"This place is sufficient," Ozymandias comments as his other attire manifests along with his heqa scepter.

Talia takes a few steps back as a precautionary measure.

"Anat and Set, it is good that you dwell in both of my arms! Astarte, wish me well so that the earth beneath my feet will be soaked in the blood of my battles after my glorious victory! I who am Horus and Ra will give happiness and prosperity to the world when I get another life! O' my beloved Nefertari, you will bless the call of Ozymandias as Hathor!" he declares.

The clouds in the sky darken as if there is something brewing in the heavens above them.

"I am Pharaoh Ozymandias!" he exclaims as he swings his scepter. "All of creation under heaven are within my grasp!"

Coming down like a meteor from the sky, an enormous beast lands in front of him, leaving a crater in the ground after its landing.

Talia looks up in bewilderment at the sight of the majestic creature towering above her. It's sphinx-like body ripples with a mesmerizingly cosmic glow, permeating the area around it. What catches her attention is the nemes headdress, rivaling the great pharaohs of old with its design and ancient beauty along with its shining golden wings.

However, the most prominent feature of this faceless sphinx is its skin. The vast expanse of space spreads out in front of them just by looking at it. Numerous blue glowing dots of light are illuminating the seemingly infinite darkness before their eyes.

Ozymandias rests his free hand against his hip, seemingly pleased with the sight in front of him.

"Behold!" he says. "The Sphinx of Abu el-Hol. It is probably the reason why I am summoned as a Rider. An ordinary Servant is no match for it. In fact, it can take on three at once and emerge victorious! Hahahahaha!"

The sphinx lowers its body to the ground before Ozymandias proceeds to get on top of it.

He then looks down on Talia and says, "What are you waiting for? I have permitted you to accompany me, have I not? I will not be defeated because your carelessness gets you killed."

"Y-Yes!" she replies quickly before climbing onto the sphinx. "But where are we going?"

"That should be obvious!" he states as if she asked something utterly redundant. "I will find the other Servants in this war and slay them!"

* * *

As far as the first encounter with another Servant goes, this one could have gone a little better. And while I'm grateful that I'm not out of this fight yet thanks to Jeanne's fast response, the enemy might know her identity now because of that last attack on Berserker. I have to figure out his identity to even it out.

I lean back in my chair as I've finished writing down the essential information that we got from this encounter on my laptop. With the input from Jeanne, I can say for certain that Berserker is either a military general or a king but I am leaning towards a king.

The first reason is that the undead soldiers he summoned all wore clothes that matched the ones he wore which indicates that they aren't just any undead but rather soldiers still in service of their king.

The second reason is his clothing. Nearly everything of what little he wore was made of pure gold which indicates that he belongs to royalty, seeing as only these types of people had access to such luxury.

Finally, there are those eye tattoos all over his body. Extensive research yielded some results. Apparently, it is called a Nazar and typically made into amulets to ward off against a superstitious belief called "the evil eye" which is said to bring misfortune and injury to its victim. They were widely used in the BC era in the middle east which was the ancient Persian empire at the time.

Adding in the fact that that Berserker's clothing looked rather archaic to solidify all of that, he is either Darius I, II, or III, Xerxes I, or Artaxerxes I, II, or III.

I can safely rule out Artaxerxes I and Darius II because history sees them as failed rulers and I doubt that a Master would want that kind of Servant.

Now, if I were a Master that would have to choose between the remaining five as my Servant, it would be either Darius I, III, or Xerxes I. Artaxerxes II, and III weren't great kings judging by the fact that they had to deal with revolts. Darius I, while he brought prosperity to ancient Persia, was not a great fighter as his expeditions in the Persian Wars were unsuccessful.

That leaves Xerxes I and Darius III.

The former brought Egypt under Persian rule and invaded Greece where he fought against King Leonidas of Sparta and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. The latter was the rival of the King of Conquerors, Alexander the Great, who fought him many times until he was eventually murdered from within his own ranks.

Both are valid candidates.

Well, that's as close to his identity as I'm going to get for now. If I play it right, I can confirm his identity the next time I encounter him.

The next issue is his Master. I have to come up with a way to deal with that guy or hope that someone else does it for me. It'll probably come down to me ending him though. I've already sent a drone over to the church to monitor it for anything suspicious. I am positive that it was one of their executors which means that not only could he be fed information but can also be supplied with extra Command Seals from the not-so-neutral judge. This is a serious problem.

I sigh as I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling of the living room.

"Master, I made us some tea," Jeanne says, heralding her arrival and putting down a tray with two teacups on the table.

"Thank you," I say, taking one of the cups.

I take a sip from the liquid, savoring the taste and close my eyes. It's pretty relaxing after a straining day like this.

"What are you working on?" Jeanne asks while looking over my shoulder.

"I tried to figure out Berserker's true name," I elaborate as I open my eyes again. "And I've narrowed it down to Darius III and Xerxes I."

"That is really impressive," she says, taking a seat next to me. "You could identify him to that degree just from one encounter?"

"It's no big deal," I reply. "Anyway, this is just one out of the six Servants that we potentially have to fight. I sent drones over to monitor the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern residence. The latter got taken down by something. A Servant with some sort of detection skill if I had to guess. That makes four Masters if we count in the executor, leaving two unidentified. Our next step will be to observe the other Masters and Servants to discern their strengths and weaknesses."

"I am sure we will encounter them soon enough," she says. "And you should take a break. You can't be thinking about the Holy Grail War the entire time."

"Well, what else is there to do?" I ask.

"Why don't you tell me more about you?" she smiles, taking another sip from her tea. "I want to get to know you better."

"Fair enough," I answer. "But there's not much to say. I lived in London for the most part of my life and work as a freelancer at the Clock Tower. Then, through a strange series of events, I ended up as a Master in this war."

I still have to look into that white-haired mage that got me into all of this at some point.

"That is all?" she asks with a puzzled look on her face. "What about your friends and family?"

"I don't have friends or family," I reply.

It is better this way.

"Forgive me for asking but I found these last night," she says hesitantly as she takes out something from her pocket.

She places a letter and two photos on the wooden table between us.

"This is..." I say as I pick them up.

My words are caught in my throat while memories are being recalled in the back of my head. Memories so painful that make me wish to have forgotten. Sometimes, I can still hear their voices as I look at my bloodstained hands. I'm sure that no matter how hard I try, those memories will haunt me for the rest of my days.

The old man. He took me in when I had no one but suffered an end he didn't deserve because of it. Then there's the guy who taught me a lesson about humanity that came at a high cost.

I thought that I threw away all the photos but it looks like I missed some. The letter though… I don't have the courage to open it and I don't have the strength to throw it away either.

"Please do not rummage through my stuff again without my permission," I say as calm as I possibly can. "These are old items that are of no importance."

Jeanne, casting her gaze downward, replies, "I see... My apologies if I have caused you discomfort, Master."

My facial expression must have said more than a thousand words. I notice that my cheeks have gone slack and that a single tear has ran down.

"Well, I'm going to turn in for the night," I state as I close my laptop and get up, leaving the photos and the letter on the table. "Oh, and put the letter back where you foun-"

I stop and grab the remote on the table and turn up the volume on the TV. Jeanne focuses her gaze in the same direction.

"The serial killings in Fuyuki continue despite the fact that the 'Demon' Ryuunosuke Uryuu has been detained five days ago and is awaiting trial," the female newscaster states while a picture of a boy with orange hair is blended in.

"Two more dismembered victims have been discovered this evening in the downtown area of the city. The police, as of right now, have no comment on the identity of the killer or if these murders are even related. However, they do advise people to remain indoors as several witnesses have also reported a weird fog appearing randomly throughout Fuyuki."

The newscaster finishes as the program on the TV continues. I heard about the killings after I arrived here but the perpetrator was already caught by then. This fog she mentioned though is interesting. I would have guessed that this new killer is just another deranged lunatic copying his predecessor but now I think it might be a Servant.

It is possible for Servants to get additional mana from devouring the souls of human beings. The more consumed, the higher the additional reserve of mana. In an objective sense, it is quite useful but I would never use such a disgusting tactic myself. It breaks one of the fundamental rules I was taught.

" _Never get innocent people involved."_

I turn towards Jeanne, "We'll go on the hunt for whoever is responsible for this tomorrow in the morning, most likely a Servant, and eliminate them."

"Agreed," she says. "I cannot let such an atrocity stand as it is."

"I'm glad we're on the same page on that matter," I say as I walk towards the stairs. "I'll turn in for the night. Do me a favor and put the letter back where you found it, please. Oh and get rid of these photos while you're at it. Good night."


	7. The Curtain Rises

I am by no means an early riser, but there is something soothing about the dawn. The sky is clear and the birds are chirping happily. Dewdrops fall off the nearby plants as a cool breeze blows by. The sun rises from the horizon to signal a new dawn - a new beginning.

I take a deep breath, enjoying the tranquil scene as I walk down the street with Jeanne. It almost feels like the fresh start of a new life.

If only that were true.

Well, savoring this peace and quiet is a little difficult considering where we are going.

Another mutilated body has been found this morning. I'm fairly confident it's the work of a Servant but there's only one way to find out.

That being said, my companion is a bit too quiet. Jeanne walks behind me, her golden hair swinging as she runs her fingers through it. One time, several times - until she notices my stare. She walks faster and catches up, keeping pace with my strides.

"You're unusually quiet this morning," I say. "Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about yesterday," she answers, bowing her head in apology. "I am deeply sorry for my rude behavior."

"Oh, that," I reply. "Don't beat yourself up about it. What's done is done. Just keep out of my personal stuff in the future. I don't want to talk about that topic anymore."

"I see..." she responds. "Thank you, Master."

We arrive at our destination about five minutes later. It's one of the small houses in the rural area of the town. What's immediately noticeable are the police cars parked in front of it with several cops walking around the estate.

We approach the entrance to the front yard where a policeman steps in front of us, blocking our path.

"Halt. This is a restricted area," he says, holding out his hand. "No access for civilians."

"My name is Sekino Ryozo, Private Investigator," I say to him as I reach for a card in my pocket which I hand over. "I was hired to investigate a series of murders that have been occurring here lately."

"And who is this?" the officer says as he looks at Jeanne.

"This is my assistant, Laeticia," I reply promptly.

The officer raises an eyebrow but takes the card from my hand anyway. He scans over it carefully before excusing himself for a moment.

"You have a false identity?" Jeanne whispers to me.

"About a dozen, in fact," I reply. "It's standard practice in this business to get just about anywhere you need to."

"That sounds really useful," Jeanne replies.

The policeman comes back and hands me my card.

"You're free to look around but we are just about to wrap this up and bring the body to the morgue," he states, stepping aside. "Oh, and word of advice: what you're going to see inside is not for the faint of heart."

"Thank you for the warning, officer," I say, already moving towards the house with Jeanne.

We step into the house and walk past a few more policemen. I see one of them slightly hunched over and covering his mouth. Looks like he's about to vomit. Another one is next to him, seemingly to make sure he's alright.

We step into the living room that has become the crime scene. No policemen are here at the moment.

I narrow my eyes at this horrifying sight in front of me. It looks like something out of a horror movie. A woman lies on the ground on the center of the room next to the dining table. There is a pool of blood around her body and what appears to be some of her organs beside her.

The room itself is relatively small and modest. There is a small table near the wall on the opposite side with a few chairs, to the right is the window with a view to the front yard, and to the left is the access to the kitchen. I reckon that she lives here alone, judging by the singular plate on the table.

I put on my gloves. I've come face to face with death a lot of times. I've seen worse than this.

I approach the body carefully and crouch down. The victim appears to have been in her early twenties. She was eating dinner when the attack occurred judging from the food on the table that is now rotten. The chair she sat in is knocked over.

Her throat is severed by two cuts. No signs of any struggle. The abdomen is ripped open and there is a long, deep, jagged wound. Most of her organs in that part of the body were taken out and arranged next to her remains as if this is a showcase. Whoever did this seems to be proud of his work and wants others to see it. Disgusting.

"Can you ask one of the policemen if they found any evidence or clues that might lead to the killer?" I ask Jeanne who nods, leaving the room soon after.

What is interesting to note is that while this may look like a butcher's work, the killer did it with surgical precision judging by the clean cuts. That means that he has at least some degree of knowledge about anatomy.

The giveaway, and the one clue that I was looking for, is that she is  _extremely_ pale. In other words, she has been drained completely of her prana.

I get back up just as Jeanne returns. I turn towards her, waiting for her to say if she found anything of use.

"They have not found anything to give us a lead on the killer," she says before looking back at the victim with a mournful expression. "But there was a strange cloud of fog around this area when the woman died."

An unidentifiable killer with a strange cloud of fog following him wherever he goes. Every victim had its abdomen ripped open which isn't necessary to extract a person's prana. There was no need to mutilate the corpses to this degree but he did it anyway because that is his signature. That is all I needed to hear.

"This was definitely a Servant," I say in a low voice. "Let's talk outside. I've figured out what we're dealing with."

We leave the house and say farewell to the officer that is guarding the entrance. Once we round the next corner and are out of hearing distance, I check one more time in case anyone else is nearby.

"We are up against the boogeyman that every child in London has heard stories of so that they would behave," I scoff. "Jack the Ripper."

Tch. I still remember those caretakers in the orphanage trying to spook us with stories about him. A serial killer who haunted the Whitechapel district of London in 1888 and spread fear. Five murders were attributed to the Ripper while a handful of others couldn't be conclusively linked to him. Of course, he was never caught so the Ripper's true identity remains a mystery to this day.

"The fog must be one of his Noble Phantasms then," Jeanne adds. "Since London is sometimes referred to as the Mist City."

"You're right," I reply. "Now we just have to find him and take him out before he can get stronger."

"There has been at least a couple of murders every night," she says. "So, if we stay vigilant, we might find him this evening."

"Sounds like a plan," I conclude. "A massive cloud of fog should be easy to spot."

* * *

"There, up ahead!" Jeanne says.

We come to a stop in front of a massive cloud of fog after our short sprint. We spent the whole day in the city to pass the time until nightfall. It looks like it paid off.

I look around to check if there are any civilians nearby. Once I confirm that the coast is clear I draw my revolver while Jeanne materializes her battle attire.

"We have no choice but to go in blind," I mutter. "But this is our chance to take out Assassin before he can become a bigger threat."

Jeanne nods. "Stay close to me, Master."

With that, we venture into the unknown, carefully taking one step at a time and staying vigilant for anything that comes our way. Unfortunately, I can't see more than a few meters with how thick this fog is, so I'll have to rely on my hearing.

An eerie silence settles in. The only sound I can perceive is our quiet steps and my own breathing. Assassin, Jack the Ripper, could strike at any moment.

A loud thud drives us both to flinch.

"It seems to have come from somewhere ahead of us," Jeanne whispers.

"Let's check it out," I reply before slowly moving forward.

As we approach, the sound of steel clashing against steel echoes in our surroundings. I also notice that we're no longer walking on asphalt, but on grass. We must be in a park.

I can make out one huge silhouette moving rapidly in the fog ahead of us and a smaller one appearing for short moments before vanishing again. The smaller one seems to be throwing knives judging by his movement which the other one deflects with ease.

The bigger silhouette suddenly snaps his head towards our direction. He makes one thunderous clap with his hands. The resulting shockwave momentarily clears the fog in our vicinity, giving everyone a good look at each other.

I see a man wearing a dirty and ragged coat with a white piece of cloth around his head to cover his face and a top hat standing on a lamp post. That must be Jack the Ripper.

_STR: C+_   
_AGL: A_   
_LUK: E_   
_END: C_   
_MP: C_   
_NP: C_

Nothing too spectacular except his agility. What's more surprising though is that the opponent he has been fighting until now is Berserker of all people. How in the world did he recover so fast?

Wait, something's wrong. He seems kind of different. He has a completely neutral expression and the fire in his axes isn't burning. Additionally, I see none of his undead soldiers running around. It is possible that he doesn't think Assassin to be enough of a threat to use them but he wouldn't have to worry about others watching thanks to the fog.

I see Jeanne getting in front of me, materializing her flagpole in her right hand and assuming a battle stance.

"Hmph, this is too much," Assassin comments as he looks from Jeanne back to Berserker.

He leaps out of sight and the fog vanishes along with him.

I now get a clear look at my surroundings. We're in the middle of a park. Parts of the ground are shattered along with what was once a fountain. The result of the fight between Assassin and Berserker no doubt.

How Assassin was able to keep up with-

Wait...

What did Assassin look like again? What were his stats?

"Saber," I whisper to her. "What did Assassin look like?"

"He was-" Jeanne stops. "Uhm... I do not remember?"

Well, at least I can rule out that I suddenly suffered short term memory loss. Must be one of Assassin's skills. More importantly, Berserker has been patiently standing there, just watching us with an indifferent expression.

I eye him a little closer.

_STR: A_   
_AGL: A_   
_LUK: C_   
_END: B_   
_MP: C_   
_NP: A++_

This can't be right. I am positive that Berserker had completely different parameters. None of the material I went through mentioned anything about Servant being able to change their parameters. This is a Servant standing before me, but I highly doubt that this is Berserker.

That reminds me, where is his Master?

"Master," Jeanne says. "Someone is hiding behind that tree."

I look toward the tree behind Berserker just as the person in question steps out of hiding. A woman with long white hair and ruby red eyes stands before us, wearing a white winter coat. An Einzbern homunculus. She looks just like what was described in the information I gathered. Well, they technically all look the same.

"Greetings, Master of Saber," she says, bowing formally. "I am Isasviel von Einzbern."

She's standing too close to the fake Berserker. If I'll shoot her now, he'll probably block it.

Upon seeing my lack of communication, Isasviel continues, "Have none of the Masters in this war been taught manners?"

"What does it matter if we are going to kill each other anyway," I reply. "I don't care for your name and you don't care for mine. Am I wrong?"

"You have a point," she answers, snapping her fingers. "Berserker, kill them."

The fake Berserker assumes a battle stance, drawing his right foot back while leaning forward.

"Saber, be careful," I whisper to her. "This is not the same one you fought the other night."

The two Servants stare each other down, waiting for their opponent to make the first move.

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky part and a radiant light shines on the environment around us. A massive creature descends from the heavens and lands on our right.

"What the-" I mutter to myself, trying to fathom the sight in front of me.

This is... a sphinx? Its skin looks like a piece of space. What's more, is that I can see two people on top of it. The tanned man with a white cloak, gold and blue gauntlets, loosely fitting brown trousers, and a scepter in his right hand must be the Servant. The one cowering behind him, a tanned girl that looks younger than me with light brown hair must be the Master. They kind of look like father and daughter.

"Heed my voice!" the man on the sphinx announces as he places his hand on his hip, looking down on us. "I am Pharaoh Ozymandias, King of Kings! Worship me, for I shall allow you to prostrate yourselves before me like the sun!"

All of us, including the girl behind him, stare with different degrees of disbelief at him, except Berserker who remains stoic as ever. He just revealed his true name to all of us. I'm not complaining about this free bit of information. However…

_STR: C_   
_AGL: B_   
_LUK: A+_   
_END: C_   
_MP: A_   
_NP: EX_

An EX rank in Noble Phantasm?! Part of me doesn't want to know what else he has besides this cosmic sphinx.

"I cannot do that," Jeanne replies firmly. "For the only one I worship is the Lord and no one else."

Ozymandias looks at her in disdain now. "You would defy me, Ozymandias, the ruler of the earth and he who strikes fear in the mighty gods themselves?"

"Nonsense!" another voice, brimming with arrogance, speaks up before Jeanne can respond.

Another light appears to my left but much smaller in scale than the previous one. Fine golden dust appears above a lamppost and begins to take physical form.

A man clad in excessive golden armor with a red cloak around his waist appears. His hair is equally golden and standing up like a blazing flame. He looks down on us with his crimson eyes.

"I am the only Hero King in heaven and earth," he states. "The rest of you are merely just a rabble of mongrels."

Well, someone's convinced of himself. Let's see his parameters.

_STR: B_   
_AGL: C_   
_LUK: A_   
_END: C_   
_MP: B_   
_NP: EX_

_Another_ one with an EX rank in Noble Phantasm?! Is this a bad joke or something?

"Oh?" Ozymandias smirks. "I see that fate has summoned a king of high caliber in this war. However, kings are not comparable to the absolute pharaohs!"

"Is that so?" the golden man replies. "Then shall we put it to the test?"

As he says that, two golden portals appear just above his head with two Noble Phantasms peeking out of them. One seems to be a sword and the other a spear from what I can see. Pretty bold of him to just showcase them for us to see.

Ozymandias narrows his eyes at the weapons that are pointed at him but he doesn't move at all.

I can practically feel the tension in the air rising. One more move and this powder keg is about to detonate. The golden king on the lamppost must be Archer. Since Jeanne is the Saber and we've already met Berserker, Assassin, and Rider, that only leaves Archer, Lancer, and Caster. He doesn't seem like the close combat type and isn't using magic either. By process of elimination, he can only be Archer.

Archer suddenly diverts his gaze from Rider to Berserker on his left, who has been staring at him intently ever since he arrived.

"Who gave you permission to look upon me, you rabid dog?" he sneers, his two golden portals turn towards him. "May your death provide me some modicum of entertainment, mongrel."

As he says this, the weapons from his portals shoot towards the imposter at an incredible speed.

Berserker drops his axes, and catches both weapons flying towards him. He then uses the momentum to spin on the spot and hurls them back to Archer.

Two more golden portals open and swallow the projectiles before they can hit their mark.

"You dare lay your filthy hands on my precious treasures?" Archer says, turning towards him. "You must long for a painful death, cur!"

Sixteen golden portals open behind Archer. Swords, spears, halberds, and axes in all shapes and sizes peek out of them, each a different Noble Phantasm. Just how many does this guy have?

"Very well, mongrel," he says. "Let us all see just how long your impudent thievery can keep you alive now!"

With that, he fires off his Noble Phantasms. Berserker manages to pick up his axes just in time to deflect the first couple of weapons before running to the side to dodge the rest as they hit the ground, creating small explosions.

Archer isn't letting up and continues to fire more and more weapons out of his portals like a gatling gun. Berserker runs up to the cosmic sphinx with the barrage of Noble Phantasms right behind him.

The faceless sphinx fires a beam of blue light at the approaching Servant who jumps high into the air and throws his axes at Rider.

"Pathetic!" Rider exclaims, two beams of sunlight shooting down the axes.

The sphinx takes to the air to avoid Archer's bombardment just as Berserker lands and continues to evade the attacks aimed at him.

"You are a fool to raise your blade against the Pharaoh!" Rider adds, the sphinx now in pursuit of Berserker.

I'm questioning the strategy of this imposter. If there is one to begin with. First, he makes the golden Archer angry. Then, he attacks Rider before picking up his axes again, all while dodging the attacks from both Servants. He turns and runs towards our position now. I see what he is trying to accomplish. He wants us to get caught in the crossfire.

"Master, stay close!" Jeanne says, readying her banner.

Berserker rapidly approaches and jumps over us in the last possible moment. Jeanne rotates her flagpole very quickly, shielding us from Archer's projectiles and Rider's sphinx.

The area around us gets obliterated by the various swords and spears thrown by Archer. Chunks of the earth patter against my clothes. Following that, Rider's sphinx scorches the ground with its beam as it passes over our heads, creating a strong gust of wind.

Just then, in the corner of my vision, one of the swords stuck in the ground next to us catches my eye. It looks awfully similar to Jeanne's sword. The only difference is that this one is missing the blue coloring and ornamentations at the handle.

"Saber, do you see that sword?" I say, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hm? Which one?" she replies.

"The one over-" I say, stopping halfway as I notice that it vanished into fine golden dust along with the ones around it. "Never mind."

Berserker continues to run as he steps sideways, jumps, or deflects incoming fire with his axes while keeping up his pace. I've got to admit, it is really impressive how this Berserker manages to dodge both Archer and Rider's attacks in a manner that looks almost graceful.

However, this may be an excellent opportunity to take out the Einzbern Master while she seems distracted.

"Saber, keep your guard up," I say behind her back.

I quickly draw my revolver and take aim. I stare at her head through the iron sights for a moment before I fire. Just when I think I have her, a snow-white familiar in the shape of a bird made of strings dives in front of her. It blocks the bullet and shatters like a porcelain cup on contact with it.

Isasviel looks at me with an expression that might as well translate to: "Really now?"

Damn it. It was worth a shot though.

"I tire of this!" Archer says.

Another two dozen portals open in the area above over Berserker, blanketing the entire area with explosions. Rider's sphinx is also hit by a few of them but just shrugs it off as if it's no big deal.

As we wait for the smoke to clear to see what has become of Berserker, the Einzbern homunculus says: "Berserker, retreat at once!"

Berserker emerges out of the smoke, unscathed, and lands next to the homunculus. He picks her up in his arms and jumps away with one massive leap.

"Hmph, how disappointing," Rider comments, crossing his arms.

"A mongrel will always be a mongrel," Archer says.

They now look at each other as if to continue where they left off before they engaged Berserker. The sphinx lands on the ground again. I can see Rider's Master clinging onto the sphinx with a terrified look. It must have been a bumpy ride.

"I take it that you are also after my treasure like those thieves, King of the Sun?" Archer says.

"My invocation in this day and age can only mean one thing," Rider says proudly. "I am needed to save the world from its wretched state. Therefore, I will require a body that will allow me to do so and burn everyone to ashes that stands in my way!"

Archer claims that the Grail already belongs to him while Rider says that he is destined to save the world.

At this point, I am wondering which of them has the bigger ego. It even seems like they forgot Jeanne and I are still here or they simply don't care.

"Oh? In that case, there is only one thing left to do!" Archer announces with a smirk. "I had doubts that this farce could bring forth someone worth my time, but unusual situations do arise."

More golden portals open up behind Archer. As expected, a different Noble Phantasm peeks out of each of them. However, there's a clustered group of portals above Archer's head where there isn't anything. It's just an empty portal.

Archer's eyes widen for a moment as he looks back to those portals. His confident and arrogant appearance falters for a moment before he regains his composure. The portals all vanish a moment later.

"But it would be quite vexing to do battle on such a grossly insufficient stage," Archer says.

"Indeed," Rider replies. "We shall settle this once the lesser Heroic Spirits are dealt with."

Archer diverts his gaze to us as if acknowledging our existence and says: "Mongrels, see to it that you are prepared for our next encounter. Only a true hero may look upon my glorious presence."

With that, he disappears into fine golden particles. Finally, Rider turns towards us with a smirk.

"Rejoice, I have changed my mind," he says. "Saber, you stood steadfast in the face of two rulers with unwavering resolution. I do hold interest in Heroic Spirits who are pure and honest in nature. All the more so if they are heroes who saved the world. Therefore, I will not end this war just yet. Rather, I am interested to see where this goes. Until we meet again!"

With one final laugh, his sphinx takes flight and vanishes into the night sky.

Seeing that the danger has passed, Jeanne's battle dress dematerializes into fine blue particles again. I look around and take in the view of what was a peaceful park an hour ago. Small craters blanket the ground. A stench of burnt grass lingers in the air. It almost looks like someone ordered an airstrike on this place.

Oh well, it's up to the church to cover this stuff up.

"Let's go home," I say, putting away my revolver.

This will be a difficult fight. We couldn't eliminate Assassin. On the upside, we have Rider's identity. It's a good thing that his Master doesn't seem to be an experienced mage, otherwise we'd have an even bigger problem.

Then there is that Einzbern Servant. There is no way it was a copy or familiar, so it must be a Servant with a shapeshifting ability. Meaning that it must be Lancer or Caster. Furthermore, they must have observed our fight with Berserker.

Finally, there is that golden Archer. As arrogant as he may be, he is very powerful. He just vomits Noble Phantasms out of his golden portals like it's nothing. The next step will be to figure out his identity. He is in possession of Saint Catherine's sword, so we just have to track down a king who owned it.

"Master, are you alright?" Jeanne asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply. "I was just thinking about what's next. I'll work on figuring out Archer's true name once we're home."

"Oh no," Jeanne says. "You are going to rest. Do not think that I have not noticed you practically falling asleep on your laptop, or how your eyes sag with every little move you make. Exhaustion is the enemy, Master."

"Seriously, I think you worry too much," I say. "I've been doing fine so far like this."

"All the more reason for me to look after you," she says.

"Alright, fine," I concede. "If it'll ease your mind, I'll rest. I suppose it's only fair to take your advice to heart since you do most of the fighting in this war for me."

"I was never one for fighting, really. But I am not a coward afraid of blood either," she replies.

"You were able to hold your ground against Archer and Rider though," I say. "Considering how powerful their attacks were, I'd say you're a proficient fighter. And… I'm glad that someone as reliable as you got my back."

Jeanne's cheeks are suddenly tinged pink as she avoids eye contact with me. I find myself unexpectedly smiling a little bit at that sight. It's remarkable how her personality is completely different in a fight compared to situations like this.

Nevertheless, there is one more Servant out there we have yet to encounter. We are up against very powerful Servants already and our every move in this war will be crucial to winning.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey there! Thanks for sticking with me so far. As always, I'd appreciate if you can leave a review. I do read them all!**

**Next chapter: "The Chains of Heaven"**


	8. The Chains of Heaven

**Lancer's POV**

I was born from a clump of earth. Clay sculptured and shaped by the hands of the gods with the ability to turn into all of creation. My father was Anu, the King of the Gods. My mother was Aruru, the Goddess of Creation.

My eyelids opened thanks to a faraway voice I heard. I woke up in a wasteland. The earth and the sky stretched out as far as my eyes could see.

There was a massive fortress city in the distance that stood out against the scenery.

Though I was given incredible power, there was no rationality or intellect in me after my awakening. My parents could not breathe a soul into me. Because of that, I was simply another creature that ran through the fields with other animals.

However, I did have a purpose. Upon my creation, I was given a task.

"Chain, you will bring the linchpin back to us."

But I was unable to fulfill that task in my current state. I lacked a soul and human will. All I could do was live, wild and untamed. Still, I was content running through the wilderness every day with other beasts. It may not have been perfect but I felt nothing about with it.

However...

I sometimes stopped to look at the fortress on the horizon. I felt as if someone was calling me. It was not my father or my mother.

As my first step to fulfilling my mission, my father instructed me to venture into the Cedar Forest and learn about humanity from a beast named Humbaba, the guardian of the forest.

Humbaba was the child of Utu, the god of the sun, justice, morality, and truth. It was created with the sole purpose of being a complete human being, possessing the innocent heart of a young girl. However, its bestial form only demonstrated how out of touch the gods were with humanity. It was a bald creature as tall as a small building with four arms, a tail, and no eyes. The fangs in its maw and the claws on its paws were sharper than anything on earth.

Upon first meeting Humbaba, I observed it letting out a cry of perpetual hate and unending resentment for the whole world.

I slowly approached it. Humbaba noticed my presence not long after and looked at me with its empty face.

"Chain," it said. "It was foretold that you would come here."

It was the first time that I heard human language. It was so much different, so sophisticated, from the language the animals in the wilderness spoke.

I replied in animal language that my father instructed me to come here to learn about humanity so that I could fulfill my purpose.

"In accordance with the will of the gods, I will teach you what I know," Humbaba said. "You can begin by imitating my language. That is how these humans communicate."

I adjusted my vocal cords to emulate the language Humbaba used. It felt strange at first, but I quickly grew used to it.

"I… understand," I said. "Then, can you teach me more about humans? What do they look like? What is the difference between them and other animals?"

Humbaba looked at me for a moment. It looked as if it was deep in thought.

"I cannot give you a sufficient answer to those questions as I lack that knowledge," Humbaba answered. "I have never left this forest since my creation and have only caught mere glimpses of humans and their civilization. At the very least, I can teach you how to properly communicate with these beings."

I befriended Humbaba as a fellow beast, even if in the end the only thing I learned from it was how to interact with humans.

Before our parting, I erected a garden in the forest for it and made a circlet of flowers that Humbaba placed on its head. Then, I ventured aimlessly through the wilderness again, waiting for my next instructions.

Lamenting my lack of human reason, my father sent me Uruk's divine harlot, Shamhat. Until that point, I have never seen a human or looked into a mirror, so I learned much about myself.

Over the course of seven days, my knowledge grew, I was also taught logic, and rational thought. I learned the ways of heaven and earth. I assumed her form because I found her beautiful. I was given a soul to fulfill the task thrust upon me.

"Enkidu."

Thus, I spoke my name for the very first time. The world, which had once been so simple, was no longer so. My role was finally clear.

I had to impose divine judgment on Gilgamesh and reign in his arrogance.

And so, I ran across the wasteland like a shooting star. My artificial heart danced with joy. At last, I could fulfill the meaning of my existence and give my life for it, if necessary. Divine punishment for someone similar to me, another puppet made by the gods.

But when I found him, he was still a child. Unlike me, he would grow. Unlike me, he also had the blood of humans in him. Until he reached adulthood, I could not fight him. I could not serve as a warning to him if we did not fight on equal terms.

And so, I waited. I gazed at the fortress city of Uruk from afar day and night, counting the days until he would reach adolescence. It was during that time that I realized that the voice calling to me came from somewhere within the city.

In childhood, he had an aura of royalty around him, surpassing any other on earth. Open-mindedness, prudence, justice, and benevolence. He valued and expressed these virtues at all times. The people loved him and would sing his praises. He appeared the ideal boy-king.

One day, I saw him traversing the streets of Uruk as he does regularly. However, this time he was cloaked and wearing a hood to disguise himself. I kept a close eye on him as this was highly unusual.

He was doing nothing out of the ordinary. I was perplexed to see him blend in with the people so seamlessly and watch the people of Uruk go about their daily lives.

I went a little closer, but still remained far enough as to not be detected or spotted by him. I was able to blend in with my environment thanks to my ability to change my form and shape at will.

He went to the market and purchases a fruit there to eat. He had his hood drawn so deep that the woman selling it to him did not recognize him. Without the disguise, she would have definitely given him the food for free.

I began to understand. Whenever he was taking a tour through Uruk, the people were happy to see him and he was showered with praise. Perhaps this was a way for him to take a tour through the city without causing a commotion.

He went on with his stroll, devouring the fruit without a care in the world. I saw a man not too far from his position, carrying a lot of baskets with all kinds of goods. Because of that, he could barely see in front of him.

Before the man knew, he collided with Gilgamesh on the street. His baskets fell down and scattered the goods on the ground.

"Ah, damn it," the man cursed as he got back up.

"Here, let me help you with that," Gilgamesh said, picking up one of the baskets and handing it to him.

The man looked at the young child in front of him for a moment. His eyes widened in shock when he recognized the person under the hood.

"Y-You are-" he fumbled with his words.

"Just a kid enjoying the daily life here in Uruk," he replied, smiling. "I am sorry for bumping into you. I should have been more careful and paying attention to where I was going."

I was confused. I expected to find a tyrant who oppresses his people, but found a polite and modest boy instead. The gods must have made a mistake in saying he had grown proud. The young Gilgamesh had no faults in need of punishment.

If there was a problem, it was that while he did honor the gods, he did not submit to them.

Whenever it was time to pay dues to Anu at his dedicated temple in Uruk, Gilgamesh followed etiquette and observed the appropriate sacrifices for him. However, unlike the rest, he did not go out of his way to please the gods with additional tributes or the like. He merely maintained the status quo instead of bringing the humans under the control of the gods.

Years passed and the boy grew into a young man. I realized that the gods had been correct. In only a few years, he became a completely different person. Despotism, tyranny, coercion, levies, and as much luxury as possible to satisfy his own selfish desires. He indulged in worldly pleasures while his people suffered.

He did not wander through the city as much as he did in his childhood. But every time he did, there was an aura of nervousness around him. Merchants and common folk bowed their heads in reverence the moment they saw him, for looking at the king without his permission is a severe crime. It was as if they were surrounded by a hungry lion that could end their life on a whim.

"Why did it come to this?" the people of Uruk lamented.

"We never thought it would go this far," the gods grieved.

But I knew the reason for his change. I knew so well, it hurt.

This conclusion was already predetermined at his birth. He was alone. A creature neither human nor god. Having the characteristics of both sides, his view ranged so far and wide that not even the gods themselves could understand the things he saw.

An excess of power led to an excess of loneliness. None could understand him. His values and views were fundamentally different than those of humans. He treats good and evil equally, having no need for other ideologies and ways of life when the absolute basis is himself.

To him, all living beings were either dying or mortal. If he decided that someone's life had to end now, it did not matter if it was a man or a god before his judgment.

Still, he did not give up his place as king. He would not abandon the purpose he had given himself.

He earnestly respected the gods and loved humans. But in the end, he chose the path of abandoning the gods and hating humans.

The time had come for me to step in. I entered the city and met the king on Celestial Hill near the ziggurat of Uruk.

"You intend to punish me?" Gilgamesh asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That is correct. I will set your arrogance aright with my own hands," I replied.

What I should have said was loneliness, not arrogance, but I did not want to wound his pride.

Our battle was fierce, lasting three days and three nights. During the battle, I transformed into a sword, a shield, a spear, an axe, and a beast among other things.

Faced with an opponent who could transform into all of creation, Gilgamesh mustered all the power at his disposal.

"You, how can a mere lump of earth rival me?!" He scoffed.

I do not know if it was surprise or anger he felt for encountering his equal for the first time. In the heat of battle, he opened the Gate of Babylon and took his prized treasures in hand.

I believed there was nothing more disgraceful for him than having to draw out the treasures he held so dear. At first, he did it out of necessity, but by the end, he was throwing them all out into the fray with joy, holding nothing back.

At sunrise, he had emptied his treasury and I had lost almost all of my clay. I looked very thin and ragged, only held together by my clothes.

Gilgamesh burst into laughter and collapsed to the ground face-up. In imitation of him, I fell to the ground as well and took a deep breath.

"Both of us are at our limit and with only one last move left. I suppose there will be two foolish corpses lying around if we don't defend as well," he said.

"Do you not regret using up all your treasures?" I asked.

"Why should I not use them for an opponent who requires it?" he responded.

After that day, I was always by his side. He would never stop collecting things but he did use them from time to time thanks to me.

"There has been disorder in my vault ever since you showed up," he said. "I must have caught your stupidity to fight by throwing treasures."

We ventured beyond Uruk's walls in the following years several times. I helped Gilgamesh in adding more treasures to his collection while we eliminated threats to Uruk. During that time, I saw much of the world together with him and encountered many other humans. It was fascinating to me how every human is so different from one another.

One of our endeavors led us to Kutha because a herd of demonic beasts was sighted in its vicinity. The citizens bowed their heads at our arrival.

A man in robes of higher quality than the other citizens came running from the city and stopped in front of us.

"My king," he said, bowing his head. "To what do we owe this unexpected honor, if I may ask?"

"We are here because of the reported sightings of demonic beasts," Gilgamesh replied. "Do you have any information on this matter?"

"Yes, my king," he replied. "In the last two days, some of our farms in the outskirts have been attacked under the cover of the night. We have a map highlighting the places of attack. Right this way."

The governor led us further into the city while I observed the environment around me. I noticed that Kutha is not much different from Uruk. However, there were some differences in the style of the buildings and in the clothing of the people.

I observed the construction of a temple dedicated to Ereshkigal while Gilgamesh was talking to the governor. It was interesting to see every single human fulfill a different role. Each of them had different strengths, skills, and talents which all contributed to the bigger picture. People with more physical strength did the heavy lifting of the materials while others planned out the architectural aspects.

All living beings have the habit of adjusting the environment they live in into something more suited to their way of life. The gods of Mesopotamia lacked that trait. Despite how much power they possessed, they were beings that were just there.

It was clear that human beings had a higher intelligence than other lifeforms on earth and their will, their desire, was unlimited. In character, ingenuity, and in cognition, they were not so different from the gods.

However, an omniscient being could only reach one possible conclusion and had a fixed personality. In that regard, they saw humans as a threat and the need to control them. They were afraid of a future where they would become unnecessary. It was a difference in the number of different minds and their ability to adapt.

I learned another valuable lesson about humanity on that day.

Eventually, we went to the Cedar Forest, home to the violent monster Humbaba.

The beast proved to be a formidable foe, capable of shattering the ground with a single strike from its arms and cutting trees in half with one swipe of its claws. Gilgamesh distracted it, bombarding it with the treasures from his Gate of Babylon, giving me the opportunity to halt Humbaba in place with the Chains of Heaven.

Gilgamesh proceeded to deal the finishing blow by shooting a drill-shaped lance straight through its chest. The beast fell to the ground with a loud thud.

We approached it to confirm its demise. It was then that I noticed Humbaba still wearing the circlet I made for it so long ago.

"Why did she wear that crown, I wonder," I murmured.

"It is because it is such an ornament, a single bunch of flowers, that it brought joy to a pure heart," Gilgamesh answered.

Before we left the forest, I left a second circlet of flowers behind on the soil to honor the beast.

"Why did you decide to defeat Humbaba? It was not an order from the gods nor was it for the sake of the people of Uruk," I asked.

"It is to protect Uruk," he replied. "If we do not defeat all evil on earth, our people will starve to death."

I then remembered the cry of hate and resentment that I observed when I met Humbaba for the first time. With the influence of the gods declining more and more each day, killing Humbaba was an act of mercy. It would have been in conflict with humanity eventually.

"But you make the people of Uruk suffer with your reign," I said. "Why are you worried about them now?"

"It is not so strange. I was born to be a protector of humanity, after all," he explained. "Building the future of this planet is the king's duty."

As he said that, his gaze was so far away. So far not even I, who was made in the same way, could see what he was seeing.

"There are different kinds of protection. Just guarding things from danger is not protection. There are times when even the north wind is necessary," he added.

"I see. So, you preferred the path you saw here," I said.

He laughed again. It was like a cool breeze, one he sometimes laughed as a child.

I understood perfectly why he preferred isolation. It was because the path he had chosen was one he had to walk alone. He said he was protecting a distant future he could see. That was why he had to be alone, hating gods and men alike.

A divide between the gods and humans was inevitable. However, the gods would never give up their influence over humans. That was why they created Gilgamesh in the first place. They wanted a sovereign, a puppet, who had the perspective of both sides but would ultimately side with the gods. It was the unsightly death throes of a dying race.

Much to their dismay, Gilgamesh decided to live his life according to his own desires and chose to observe humanity's future as king out of his own volition. Naturally, there is no place for the gods to interfere in humanity's path. That is why getting rid of divine beasts like Humbaba, who would oppose a future without the gods, was accelerating that divide.

The more he loved humanity, the less he could be involved with anyone. He was humanity's arbitrator and reaper. He believed that his cruelty was necessary in order to build a thriving future for humanity and to push them to greater heights. He, as the king, would only observe the result of it and would not interfere in the glorious process from which such results were made.

"Well, the results may be an uninteresting fabric, but I have decided to look after them," he said. "So, I will."

"I am a tool. Something you don't need to pass judgment on. I can stay by your side until the end of the world," I replied.

"Fool," he answered, a genuine smile on his face. "You lived with me, spoke with me, fought with me. That is not a person nor a tool. That is called a friend, Enkidu."

It was at that moment that I truly gained a self when I was granted those precious words.

But our time together would not last.

It was a day like any other. I was in the throne room, having a pleasant conversation with Siduri while Gilgamesh gave orders to his advisors.

It was then that we both felt it and looked out towards the large balcony. A woman with red eyes and long black hair approached on a massive blue and gold bow from the sky.

The bow was unmistakably Maanna, the Boat of Heaven. That meant that the person controlling it was Ishtar, the goddess of Venus, beauty, good harvests, war, and fertility.

Siduri and Gilgamesh's advisors bowed at the sight of her. Not just because she was a goddess, but because she was also the patron deity of Uruk.

She floated into the throne room and landed, letting her gaze wander over everyone until it landed on Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh rested his head on his right hand, not bothering to get up from his throne and said, "What is your business here, Ishtar?"

"King Gilgamesh," she said, then turned towards me. "Chain."

She turned her attention back to the king and continued, "I am merely here to congratulate you on all your deeds. Tales of your adventures have reached the heavens above."

The annoyance from Gilgamesh was palpable given that his eyes narrowed as Ishtar sauntered closer to him.

"And as it happens, it has come to my attention that you have yet to find a wife," she said, leaning closer. "What do you say to joining me in divine marriage?"

"No," Gilgamesh replied.

"No?" Ishtar repeated.

"You are, how to put it best," Gilgamesh said. "Unfaithfully cruel and spoiled. You can never settle down and keep the same lover for long. After your pathetic attempt to take over the underworld from Ereshkigal, Tammuz, the lover of your youth, took the punishment in your stead. Then we have Isullanu who made you many offerings, yet you turned him into a mole after he refused a single request of yours. If I would accept your proposal, I would surely meet the same fate as them."

Ishtar stepped back and balled her fists. "You  _dare_  to deny me?!"

Maanna reappeared beside her. Ishtar's left eye was twitching. Gilgamesh's advisors left the throne room in a hurry.

"You have nothing to offer me," Gilgamesh concluded and stood up, crossing his arms. "Now, begone you useless goddess."

Ishtar looked like she was ready to start a fight, but upon realizing that I was still here, she stopped herself. I did not think that she had that much intelligence in her.

"You will pay dearly for your insolence!" she shouted. "You will rue the day you defied me! You and your kingdom!"

She quickly took off on Maanna and made sure to not leave through the balcony, but to blast a hole through a wall instead.

"Siduri, have that wall repaired," Gilgamesh ordered her. "And have my servants prepare a bath for me later."

Ishtar raced back to the heavens and went crying to her father Anu. She begged him to unleash Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, upon Uruk.

The Bull of Heaven was said to be the strongest divine beast in all of Sumer and as tall as a mountain. Even the gods could not fully control it, except Ishtar. When Gugalanna was summoned to the earth, it caused massive damage to the environment because it was constantly surrounded by a hurricane of over 800 kilometers in diameter. People died to the storm, buildings were destroyed, and farms rendered useless.

Dark clouds covered the world and a massive flood was imminent. Additionally, the Bull was capable of annihilating an entire city in moments and burn the Tigris River dry. This would have been the end of Uruk.

Gilgamesh and I headed out to intercept Gugalanna before it could do more damage. We battled the Bull for nearly a day until both sides started to give in.

"Enkidu, let us finish this!" Gilgamesh shouted through the storm.

He opened a portal above his hand. The Key of the King's Law came out of it.

I nodded and placed my hand on the ground. The magical energy of the land flowed through me.

"What I call upon is the breath of the planet, for I walk alongside the path of humanity," I chanted. "Therefore, child of man, let us bind the gods."

"Enuma Elish!"  
[O' Humans, Let Us Bind The Gods]

I transformed my entire body into the Chains of Heaven as I raced towards Gugalanna, piercing, restraining the beast and completely immobilizing it. It let out a cry in response, but it was not dead yet.

"Judgment is upon you," Gilgamesh declared, raising his most powerful weapon into the air. "Behold the crushing might of my Sword of Rupture!"

The three segments of Ea began to rotate and unleashed a torrential whirlwind of red and black around him as he hovered in the air.

"Subside in death!" he says, bringing his sword down towards Gugalanna.

"Enuma Elish!"  
[The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth]

The Bull of Heaven, with no way to move, took the full force of Ea and was completely obliterated. The dark clouds in the sky vanished as we saved the earth from being flooded. However, Gugalanna's appearance caused so much damage to the land that the people of Uruk would feel its impact for seven years to come.

And that marked the beginning of my end.

Furious at her loss, Ishtar requested that we are to be put to death for the sin of slaying a beast of the gods. Her request was granted and in response, they brought divine punishment down upon me. Since I was made by the gods, I was unable to defy their decree.

It all happened so suddenly. We were in Uruk's ziggurat at the time. I lost the strength to stand and it became increasingly difficult to move. I was shutting down.

Gilgamesh held me, that crumbling lump of clay, in his arms with all his might.

"I won't allow this!" he said, devastated. "Why do you have to die? If someone must be punished, it should be me! All of this was because of my own selfishness!"

My vision was getting blurry. I could barely make him out and see his cheeks drenched in tears.

"You do not need to be sad," I said, cupping his cheek. "I am a weapon. Just one of the many treasures in your collection. I am sure that you will find countless other treasures after this, much better than I am. There is nothing so valuable about me that gives you reason to drench your cheeks like this."

In the end, that is all I was. A weapon, a tool. Though Gilgamesh was a child of the gods, he became a hero who defied them. He had a soul from the beginning. He had free will ever since he was born. He had a true life, unlike me.

Why, when we were made by the same gods, were we such different beings?

"You do have worth! Worth that no one else has!" he cried. "I hereby declare, in all heaven and earth, only one shall be my friend. Thus, not for all eternity shall your value ever change!"

What had I done? I was just a tool, but he made that into something else with his vow. With the price that forever after, he would always be alone.

I could not feel my arm anymore as it let go of his face and fell back down. My eyesight was no more, replaced by unending darkness. Tears began to flow from my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. "Could it be that, only now, you regret having taken my side?"

"That's not it," I replied. "Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? When I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I cannot help but shed tears…"

My body reached its breaking point and crumbled apart. The rain outside gradually lessened. All that remained was the cry of the king, echoing through the ziggurat like roaring thunder.

* * *

Enkidu wakes up from his meditation under one of the trees near the Einzbern castle. He prefers being outside rather than being cooped up indoors. To him, being surrounded by nature feels like he is surrounded by like-minded individuals because plants and animals are existences closer to himself than humans. The song of nature is still there as he remembers it, despite the fact that much has changed after his death. Still, it is a relief that the earth is as beautiful as ever, despite being covered by cities like Uruk now.

But one of the few things that never change is that Enkidu is in tune with nature. Birds and squirrels occasionally approach him, converse with him, and keep him company.

Destiny is truly a strange fabric. What were the chances that out of all the Heroic Spirits that could have been summoned in this Holy Grail War, his close friend, Gilgamesh would be among them. It came so unexpected that Enkidu was almost in a daze back there.

Enkidu would have revealed himself to him. However, he is under strict orders from his Master to not expose his preferred form to others in addition to not raise his parameters to the fullest just yet. As a weapon, he has to obey his wielder.

However, Gilgamesh didn't see through his disguise. Or maybe he did and only played along? No, this isn't like him. He could be intentionally restraining Sha Naqba Imuru. That would certainly be something he would do. But what if it's being clouded or even blocked?

Enkidu places his hands on the ground to feel the land beneath him. Something is definitely out of order. It's as if there is something there that shouldn't be. Something… malefic.

Enkidu snaps back to the here and now. His Presence Detection skill has alerted him to something nearby. With one motion of his hand, a spear made of clay shoots from the ground and hits something in the tree opposite of him.

A red-eyed raven falls out of the tree and vanishes into smoke a few seconds later.

"That makes fourteen," Enkidu says.


	9. Faith

It's been almost a day since we encountered the other Servants in the park. The good thing is that we got Rider's identity and prevented Assassin from committing more murders for now.

I just checked in with the drones I stationed all over the city. No activity at the church, the Tohsaka mansion, and the Matou residence. The drone I stationed near the Einzbern Castle was destroyed though. I sent a second drone, believing that I may have not hidden the first well enough, but I lost contact with the second minutes after it arrived.

This leads me to believe that either the Einzbern Master or her Servant is able to detect the drones. So, there is no point in wasting more on trying to spy on the castle.

I walk downstairs into the living room. I take a seat at the table which is located in the center of the room. Once I sit down, I boot up my laptop. Ozymandias and Archer seem to be the biggest threats so far. Therefore, getting as much information about them is vital in defeating them.

I survey the room and see Jeanne sitting on the couch in the corner. She is reading a book as she idly plays with her long, golden hair that shines in the light of the room. Guess the Grail also gave her the ability to read, since she supposedly didn't have that when she was alive.

Anyway...

"Jeanne, can I take a look at your sword, please?" I ask.

She looks up from her book and her amethyst eyes meet mine. For a moment, it feels like time stands still as I catch myself staring for some reason. I quickly avert my gaze to the table.

"Uhm, sure, but why?" she answers.

"I want to use it as reference for Archer's identity," I reply.

She puts away her book and gets up. Her sword appears and she hands it to me. I carefully run my hand over the hilt and the flat side of the blade. I am aware that it might not be the same weapon from last night, but my instincts tell me to pursue this lead.

I gently put the sword on the table.

"Alright, let's recapitulate what we know about the golden Archer," I say. "First, he is a king. One of great renown if someone as important as Ozymandias recognized and praised him."

Jeanne grabs a nearby chair and sits down next to me.

"Second, he is in possession of a seemingly infinite supply of Noble Phantasms which he referred to as his treasures," Jeanne adds.

That's what worries me the most. As a rule, Heroic Spirits have usually only one Noble Phantasm. Very renowned or powerful ones have three at best, but Archer has hundreds or thousands of them.

"Indeed," I say, compiling the information. "And then there is your - eh, Saint Catherine's sword. We should be able to deduce his true name because he is in possession of it."

"Are you certain that it was this very sword you saw yesterday?" she asks.

"I'm positive that one of the weapons he shot out was this sword," I answer. "Just without the coloring and ornamentation."

"That means that he was in possession of it before even Saint Catherine herself," Jeanne says, looking at the blade. "I was guided to this sword by the Lord and found it in a church dedicated to her behind an altar. It already looked like this when I took it in my hands."

I do a quick search on my laptop. My fingers fly across the keyboard as the first results come in. Jeanne glances over to look at the screen.

"It also says that the sword was lost after your death, so the only logical conclusion is that Archer is a king of the BC era," I say.

Jeanne cups her chin and looks at her sword for a moment.

"But that does not add up," she says. "This sword only became a Noble Phantasm through Saint Catherine. It was only a regular sword before she emerged in human history. Unless…"

"Unless that version Archer has was its prototype?" I say. "Then there is a high chance that his other weapons are also prototypes. I couldn't identify any of them though."

Unfortunately, there is no way to find out who possessed it before Saint Catherine, but we can narrow it down even further.

"Well, the next step is to figure out Archer's country of origin," I continue. "Which leaves only Greece, Egypt, and the regions in the middle east. We can already rule out Egypt because he is not using the title of pharaoh."

"The letters on the plate below his torso were not greek," Jeanne adds. "And he claimed that the Holy Grail was also his treasure when talking to Rider."

"Yes, he used the word treasure a few times," I mutter. "Could that be the thing he is known for? Amassing a great treasury surpassing every other in history?"

"An ancient king with a treasury that houses the prototype of Noble Phantasms…" she says. "There is only one I can think of that matches that description."

"Mankind's oldest hero," I sigh. "Gilgamesh."

I read his epic on my flight to Japan. The tyrannical king of Uruk who claimed everything of value and, after losing his only friend, went on an unsuccessful quest for immortality.

Just my luck. He is supposedly the strongest Heroic Spirit. I hope that the myth about him possessing a Noble Phantasm that is capable of tearing the world asunder is just that, a myth. He is already strong enough as it is. The only way I can see us winning against him is by exploiting his ego or killing his Master who we don't even know yet.

"This is almost depressing. Between Archer, Rider, and that shapeshifter who actually managed to keep up with both of them, our chances of winning aren't looking too good," I sigh, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "And we haven't even met the last Servant."

I just want to go to bed and call it a day.

"Please do not worry," Jeanne says, putting her hand on mine. "I am sure the Lord has a plan and will guide us through this."

Strange. For someone as battle hardened as her, her hands are surprisingly soft.

"Please, spare me all that nonsense about god," I say, retracting my hand.

Jeanne blinks once, twice, and looks at me as if she'd just been slapped.

"What makes you say such a thing?" she asks.

Here we go. I suppose a discussion like this was inevitable, considering how pious she is.

"I don't believe in any god. Plain and simple," I state, crossing my arms. "But for the sake of argument, I'll play along and pretend that an entity called 'god' is real."

"The Holy Church claims that he is benevolent and all-powerful," I continue. "And yet, I don't see any of that around the world. Take me for example. I am a freelancer that works for the Clock Tower most of the time. I steal and kill for a living. I'm sure you have deduced that much about me by now. What kind of messed up world do we live in where this is seen as the most normal thing in the world?"

"It is not in my place to judge you," she replies. "Everyone has done things they are not proud of at one point, but even so, the world is constantly shaped by humanity. The Lord cannot force change unto them."

"But he should!" I respond. "There are so many things wrong with the world. Cruelties, big and small, are committed every day. If he isn't able to bring change, then that means he is not all-powerful since he's powerless to change it. However, if he actually has the power, it means he is not benevolent because he chooses to see people suffer instead of seeing them happy."

"It is not up to the Lord to lead humanity. All he can do is show them the way," Jeanne says. "Whether or not they take that path is up to everyone individually."

Then what is the point in worshipping a being that doesn't take action?

"And look what that did to you," I reply, lowering my voice. "You saved your country from the brink of destruction, and how did they repay you? They sold you out to the British who tried to humiliate you in court and burned you at the stake."

"I knew of the fate that awaited me the moment I heard the Lord's voice and went to war. I do not believe that this path that I chose was a mistake either, for I have saved many lives along the way," she replies.

She knew from the start how it would all end and did it anyway. Giving up your own happiness for the sake of others. That is... noble, albeit foolish.

"Yes, salvation," I say. "A word that has been used in the past to commit many atrocities in the name of religion. There is no such thing, at least for us humans. The majority of us are selfish beings that inevitably self-destruct."

I close my laptop and get up. Just as I'm about to walk away, Jeanne grabs my arm. I turn around to face her again.

"I do not know what caused you to have such a pessimistic outlook," Jeanne says. "But I beg of you, no matter what, please do not give up on humanity. Losing faith in humanity is easy. Simply hating them is even easier, but continuing to love them can be extremely difficult."

I look her in the eyes with a blank expression. A moment of silence passes as she seemingly waits for me to say something. I rip my arm free of her grasp and turn around again. I have no interest to continue this discussion. This was a waste of time.

"Whatever," I say. "Our views on that matter have no relevance to the Holy Grail War. I'll see if I can find a pattern to the Ripper's attacks here in Fuyuki tomorrow morning. If I find something, we'll hunt him down and defeat him before he becomes a threat. Do what you want in the meantime."

* * *

"Shaped by humanity," Nicolas says. "A reflection."

He gazes through Caster's crystal ball, revisiting the events that have transpired last night. The room is dreary, only illuminated by the teal glow of the ball and a few dimmed lights.

"Oh? Did Assassin catch your interest?" Caster asks.

He mumbles something as he moves his hands over the ball. He then reaches into the solid object as if to grab something. Then, he pulls out a ball of smoke which he throws to the side. The smoke begins to spread out and take shape. Perfect copies of every person present in that fight stands in a circle around them, motionless like a mannequin.

"Fortunately, my ability in magecraft exceeds his skill of erasing evidence." Caster smirks. "But back to the question at hand."

"Not the Ripper himself," Nicolas says, stepping toward the doppelgänger of Assassin. "But his existence in and of itself as a 'Heroic Spirit' is an interesting one. Strictly speaking, he is nothing special. There were many murderers and serial killers over the past centuries, but only he amassed enough recognition to be recorded into the Throne of Heroes. Do you know why that is?"

"It would be embarrassing if I do not," Caster replies. "After all, we are both products of humanity, created to fill the roles of a boogeyman or an evil demon."

"Precisely," he replies, looking at Assassin. "The newspapers in London were desperate for a good story to sell. So, they brought this one killer onto the world stage which made him infamous to this day. Even the name 'Jack the Ripper' was made up from one of these newspapers."

"Fascinating, is it not?" Caster says gleefully. "Humanity's potential to create both good and evil is truly unparalleled. Humans, by nature, constantly strive for things beyond their grasp. It is that very desire that fuels and nourishes me."

Caster speaks as if nostalgic. There is nothing good about such a thing, Nicolas thought. It is despicable. A prime example of what is wrong with humanity. One day, their endless desire will lead to their undoing.

"I am sure you had your hand in many evil actions," Nicolas says.

"Master, you wound me," Caster says, feigning to be physically hurt by his words. "Had I not appeared when I did, Faust would have committed suicide. Would you not agree that this was a good deed?"

"Yes, one good deed to commit countless evil ones," Nicolas says.

"As much as I like to take credit for my work," Caster says. "I could not have done any of it without the involvement of humans, for I merely provide them the tools. What they do with them is entirely in their hands."

"Do not play dumb with me," Nicolas says. "If you give a person with violent tendencies a weapon, chances are that he will hurt others. If you tell a power hungry maniac a way to achieve his ambitions, the probability that he will follow that path like a religion is all but assured."

Caster raises an eyebrow.

"Perhaps, but there is only one way to find out, am I right?" He grins.

"Regardless," Nicolas continues. "This incarnation of the Ripper is based on how he was portrayed in most caricatures. I imagine that there is no face beneath that mask since there are no records of what the Ripper truly looked like."

"The same goes for his or her real name," Caster says. "He probably does not even know his real name himself. Thus, he could theoretically be summoned in a variety of forms, perhaps even as a little girl."

"Assassin aside," Nicolas says. "We have a visual of Saber, Archer, Rider, and Berserker now, including three Masters. What is your take on them?"

"It was foolish of Rider to reveal his true name," Caster replies. "While he does have the firepower to back up his ego, he is still human, despite his claims of being a god. It shall be entertaining to reunite him with Nefertari and Moses if the chance arises."

Nicolas turns away from Assassin to face the other illusions. He looks at the girl next to Rider for a moment.

"Oh, the irony," he mutters.

"That golden Archer will be a tough one to beat," Caster says, cupping his chin. "But the greater the challenge, the greater the payoff."

"Yes, I imagine Archer's Master is hiding somewhere since his Servant doesn't need any support due to his class skill," Nicolas adds. "And Rider keeps his Master close by, a smart move to guard against assassinations."

Caster runs his hand over the orb and the scenery inside it changes. A prestigious manor becomes visible.

"No activity at the Tohsaka mansion," Caster says, swiping to the left. "And none at the Matou residence either."

He swipes again to the left, but looks visibly displeased now. The crystal ball only shows the distorted image of a castle.

"Tch, my scrying magic was detected even at this distance?" He scoffs. "What a pain this Einzbern Servant is."

"There is more to Berserker than meets the eye," Nicolas adds. "None of the ravens I have dispatched to spy on the Einzbern Castle have returned. Even an Einzbern homunculus couldn't have gotten all of them. Therefore, Berserker might not be as mindless as he pretends to be."

"Which leaves my favorite of this bunch," Caster says with a hint of hostility. "Saber."

"Do not let your personal ambitions hinder us," Nicolas reprimands him.

"Of course not," Caster says. "I merely want to be the one to defeat her. I want to see her fall from grace. I want to see the despair in her eyes as she is defeated! Breaking religious men and women is something I will never tire of."

"I am sure that there will be an opportunity sooner or later," Nicolas responds. "But for now, we must wait and watch."

"Either way, it cannot hurt to be prepared," Caster says.

He snaps his fingers and his attire changes in an instant. His black and red robes transform into a fancy suit. A walking cane materializes in his right hand moments later.

"I will take a walk and procure the necessary tools," Caster adds. "I will be back in an hour or two. Don't have too much fun without me!"

Caster vanishes in a puff of smoke, leaving his Master alone in his workshop.

"I've said too much." Nicolas sighs.

He walks by the many doppelgängers that are all lined up. He stops at the image of Saber's Master.

"A freelancer, how quaint," he says to himself. "But... curious. Why is someone like him a Master? He couldn't be after the root like the other mages. No, mages are a different breed of their own. I will have to watch this one carefully."

* * *

On the edge of the tallest building in Fuyuki, a single man stands, watching over the city. The night sky is clear. A cool breeze blows by. Everything is just as he remembers it.

How long has it been since he was here? Days, months, years, decades, or centuries? He has lost track of time amidst his bloodstained work.

Why exactly did he come up here? Was it because this position was a good vantage point to scout out potential targets or because he just wanted to gaze upon a familiar scenery?

"You seem to be in thought, is something bothering you?" a woman asks, walking up to him from behind with quiet steps.

"I thought you'd be gathering intel with Assassin," the man replies.

"He insisted to handle that task on his own," she responds.

The woman in the dark coat stands next to him and lets her gaze wander over the city as well. Her homeland, or at least the homeland of the person she is modeled after, has changed so much in the past 200 years.

"Does this city mean anything to you?" she adds.

"Maybe in the past, though that doesn't matter right now," he says. "But enough about that. Tell me, does this situation not strike you as odd?"

"That we are in a Holy Grail War?" she asks.

"That there are three of us," he says. "Not once have I encountered another one of ours in all of my summonings."

"That may be true, but what is the point in wondering about that?" she asks. "Our kind simply go where we are told to fulfill our duty. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Yes, we are nothing more than beings forced to clean up one mess after another." He scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Have you come to regret your contract?" she asks.

"I have a couple of regrets," he says. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Very well," she says, turning around. "Assassin should be back soon. I will wait at the appointed meeting point. What will you do in the meantime?"

"Nothing in particular," he replies.

"Understood," she concludes, disappearing moments later.

The man looks down towards a certain part of the city. An area near the city's theatre. It looks so peaceful in this timeline.

He looks up to the sky, wondering what will happen this time. Will there be another tragedy? Will there be another fire that consumes every life it reaches? Will there be a sole survivor amidst that hell again? There is only one way to find out.

The man jumps off the roof and vanishes into the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter.**

**Someone wondered how Jack was able to keep up with Enkidu. Imagine it more like the fight between Cu and Cursed Arm in Heaven's Feel. He was basically dodging most of the time, thanks to his high agility stat.**

**Next chapter: "Hunter of the Red Plains"**


	10. Hunter of the Red Plains

I look downwards. The city of Fuyuki expands throughout my field of sight. The shining lights at night illuminate the city, comparable to a sea of stars. The faint sound of cars driving by whistled in the wind as I let my gaze wander.

I'm not afraid of heights, but standing on top of the tallest building in Fuyuki makes me doubt that. But as long as I don't get too close to the edge and fall off, I have nothing to fear.

I glance over my shoulder. Jeanne is on the other side of the roof with her back turned to me. We're going to look for the cloud of fog that appears every time before another murder. Jack the Ripper always seems to strike close to midnight. So, it's only a matter of time before he shows up. And when he does, we'll be ready to take him out for good.

I avert my gaze to the city and sigh.

We haven't talked much since yesterday. In hindsight, I think I've acted too rash and insulted her. Her faith is a part of who she is. Offending that is the same as offending her.

Good grief. How are we supposed to win this war if we get caught up in stuff like this? I do feel a little guilty about what I said, but I stand by my words.

I glance over my shoulder one more time. In the material I read about Servants, they are described as nothing more than powerful familiars with the appearance of heroes from old. It is said that they are merely minions to be commanded.

I don't know about the other Masters, but when I look at my Servant, I see a person, not a tool. There is no need to get attached though. Servants are like a fleeting dream. Once the war is over, she will be gone.

"Master," Jeanne says, tapping me on the shoulder.

I turn around. "What is it?"

"You looked like you were spacing out, is everything alright?" she asks.

"It's nothing," I reply.

"I see," she says. "Then we should head out."

She points to the right. I look in that direction and see a massive cloud of fog shrouding a complete district.

"Let's go!" I say.

* * *

We're going through the fog at a steady pace. Not too slow, but not too fast either. After all, we don't want to drop our guard in case we're his next target.

"Can you spot anything?" I ask.

"Nothing," Jeanne replies.

Just then, a scream echoes around us. My head instantly snaps to the direction of the high-pitched sound that quickly subsided.

"It came from that direction!" Jeanne says, pointing to the left.

"Let's go," I say, picking up the pace.

We close in on the source of the scream, but just as we round the corner, the fog retreats. I look at what appears to be a dark alley. A couple of garbage cans line the wall to the right and the street lamps only illuminate a bit of this place.

But most importantly: Assassin got away again. Damn it.

Just when I'm about to call it a day, Jeanne gets in front of me. It's then that I notice someone kneeling in front of the Ripper's latest victim about five meters in front of us.

The person in question raises his head and gets up as he turns around to face us.

A tanned man with short white hair, donning black body armor and a red cloak stands before us. I can tell by the aura he is emanating that he is a Servant. There's magical energy residue around this guy.

_STR:_ _B_   
_AGL:_ _B_   
_LUK:_ _B_   
_END:_ _B_   
_MP: B_   
_NP: ?_

B-ranked across the board? What the hell is this? That question mark on his Noble Phantasm is what worries me the most though. I've never seen or heard of anything like that. Honestly, what's with the Servants in this Holy Grail War? EX-Rank this, EX-Rank that, and now a Servant with a question mark as parameter.

"And who are you supposed to be?" I ask. "Lancer or Caster?"

"I have to disappoint you there, Master of Saber," the man replies calmly. "I am Archer."

"Yeah, right. The arrogant golden king is already occupying that slot," I reply.

"What a shame," he says, waving his hand dismissively and walking away. "Either way, I have no intention of fighting you now. So, I'll just be on my way."

"Saber, take him down," I say. "He's an enemy we must overcome eventually. We might as well get it over with now."

"Oh?" the red Archer says, his back still turned to us.

Jeanne draws her sword and holds it in front of herself with both hands.

"Here I go!" she says.

She charges towards the red Archer. Just as she is about to reach him with her blade, he turns around and parries it with two curved daggers in his hands. One is pitch black with a red hexagonal pattern on it while the other blade is snow-white. So much for his claim of being an Archer.

"Hmph, I don't have time for this nonsense," he says, breaking the blade lock and gaining a bit of distance.

He turns around and jumps onto a nearby roof.

"Saber, go after him!" I shout.

"What about you?" she asks.

"Don't worry about me," I reply. "I'll be fine on my own. Now, go!"

She jumps onto the roof and gives chase to the red Archer. She disappears from my view not long after.

Everything quiets down. I walk towards the dead body ahead and kneel beside it. It looks to be the woman we heard screaming earlier. She is also drained of her prana. Assassin's work no doubt, judging by his signature slash on the victim's throat and abdomen.

However, it looks like he was interrupted in the process of arranging her organs next to her body. While the cut is there just like on the other victims, the organs are untouched. I wonder if the red Archer drove Assassin off or if he just got startled and left.

I move my gloved hand over her eyes to close them. She was just a bystander that didn't have anything to do with this. At the very least she can rest in peace now.

Either way, there is nothing else I can do about the dead body in front of me. I need to leave before anyone sees me here in this incriminating position.

"Hold it!" I hear a male voice behind me as I get up. "Turn around. No sudden moves."

Well shit.

I slowly turn around. I expect to see a policeman standing there with his gun pointed at me. Instead, I see a somewhat familiar face with a gun pointed at me.

"Well, well," he says. "I couldn't believe it when I heard that you of all people were participating in the Holy Grail War. And here you are with a Servant and everything, fighting for the omnipotent wish-granting device."

A freelancer from the Clock Tower. He's wearing mostly black combat gear and aiming at me with a pistol.

"I've no interest in small talk with you," I reply. "What do you want?"

"Your Command Seals," he replies. "Not for myself, of course. I was hired by one of the other Masters to eliminate his competition."

"And you are telling me this why exactly?" I ask.

"I figured that you and I could settle this like civilized people, since you and I are both freelancers of the Clock Tower," he replies. "It's just good business."

"Go to hell," I say.

"Look, kid," he says. "You can just hand over your Command Seals and leave the city. Walk away."

Like hell am I going to do that. And besides, giving up my Command Seals would be equivalent to betraying Jeanne. Even if we don't see eye to eye.

"Walk away?" I repeat. "I can't just walk away after everything that's happened. Could you do that?"

He doesn't respond.

"That's what I thought," I add.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this," he says. "Sorry, kid."

I see a small flash of light on a rooftop.

I manage to move to the side just in time for the sniper to miss my head and hit my left shoulder instead. Drawing my revolver, several shots ring out in quick succession at him. He ducks and returns fire.

I sprint towards the nearest car and dive behind it for cover as his shots fly past me. I sit on the cold asphalt, trying to take stock of my current situation.

"Shit," I curse, taking a look at the injury on my shoulder.

Blood is gushing out of the wound and painting that part of my coat with a crimson hue.

I should've known he wouldn't be alone, damn it. Reloading my gun, I glance over the cover for a moment. He's trying to circle around and flank me while the sniper keeps me in place.

Even though my shoulder is hit, I can still move my arm through the pain.

I throw down a smoke bomb to the side to obscure his vision. The cloud emerges after a puffing noise. That should buy me a bit of time.

I glance down at my Command Seals. No, this is my fight. Besides, she's fighting another Servant.

Alright. First my shoulder, then the bastard on the ground, then the sniper.

I put my right hand over my wounded shoulder and take a deep breath.

_Time Alter: Rev-_

Tick. Tick. Tick.

My gaze snaps to the right. I look at a grenade that just collided with the sidewalk right next to me.

Survival instinct kicks in. I plunge away from the car, opposite to the direction where the smoke bomb exploded. My shoulder hurts like hell as I tumble on the ground to gain as much distance as possible.

Boom.

The shockwave from the explosion pushes me a little further. I can feel the heat momentarily on my skin, but it subsides as quickly as it began.

As I get up, a sudden pain surges through my body. It feels as though a stinger just went through me, over and over. The air is pushed out of my lungs and I gasp for air.

Looking forward, I see the source of my agony. Holding a submachine gun, another freelancer looks at me with a dead expression. I got played.

Blood splatters in front of me as I cough. I look down on my body riddled with holes and collapse on the ground face-up.

It feels like time slows down as I find myself in this all too familiar situation.

From the corner of my vision, I can still see the car which is engulfed in fire. The stench of gasoline also lingers in the air.

I look up at the starry sky as my life ebbs away. I've lost count how many times I've been in this position now. The pain doesn't become any easier to bear though.

My eyesight is getting blurry.

"I don't think this is what Ryoken had in mind when he trained you," I hear one of the freelancers say.

That name…

It lights a fire within me.

This is not where it ends. Death has no claim on me yet. And I am going to end him for speaking that name.

I see one of the freelancers walk up to me from the corner of my sight.

_Time Alter: Reverse Flow_

I still have my revolver tightly in my right hand and these guys let their guard down now. I suppress the urge to scream as I relive the pain of getting pierced by dozens of bullets. My wounds are all closing and the dizziness fades.

This feeling isn't new to me. I've been shot, cut, and even partially burned once. I walked away unscathed every time.

I see the guy pulling out a knife, no doubt to cut off my right hand where the Command Seals are on.

He reaches me and crouches down.

"What the-" he utters in surprise, but doesn't get to finish that sentence.

I quickly aim up and shoot him right between the eyes. I use this moment to quickly get back on my feet and grab the dead man by the collar with my left hand to use as a meat shield.

I let two shots loose. My aim is true. The first shot hits the sharpshooter on the roof that is busy disassembling his sniper rifle. The second shot hits the last guy in the hand that he tried to pull out his gun with. Three bullets left.

The fourth shot connects with his left knee and the fifth with the right. He falls on his knees. I drop the other guy and run towards him. Once there, I grab his weapon on the ground and throw it away.

I point my gun at his back and he slowly raises his hands into the air.

"Nothing personal," I say. "Like you said, it's just good business. Now, tell me who hired you."

"I'm more curious about how you seemingly came back from the dead just now." He spits. "What are you, a dead apostle or something?"

"No such thing," I say impatiently. "Now, answer the damn question."

"I'm not telling you anything," he laughs, despite the pain. "I'll die before you get anything out of me. The old man didn't teach you how to torture people, did he?"

After uttering that last sentence, my trigger finger seems to act on its own. The shot echoes throughout the street and the last freelancer drops to the ground with a hole through his heart.

Instinctively, I reload my weapon and look around. No one in sight.

There's no reason to lurk around. Who knows if that Master he spoke of hired more goons. It's the church's job to clean this mess here up. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done here.

Just as I put away my gun, a light appears above me on a lamppost. I look up to see golden dust taking physical form. This is bad.

Golden armor and crimson eyes that judge the world around them.

* * *

Jeanne continues to chase the red Archer over the rooftops of Fuyuki. If it wasn't for her superior agility, Archer would have been long gone. It is apparent that he knows this city far better than she does.

Archer jumps over to the next building, does a somersault and throws his black and white short swords at her. She stops momentarily and raises her banner to intercept. The swords hit her flagpole with a clank before hitting the ground. Then, they vanish into fine blue particles as if they were never there.

"How many swords does he have?" she mutters, jumping over the gap to continue her pursuit.

Seeing that Saber doesn't let up, Archer furrows his brows. He sprints to the edge of the next building, jumps, turns midair and fires three arrows at his pursuer.

Jeanne sees the three flashes of light coming at her. She dashes to the right, then dodges to the left. Finally, she tumbles forward, narrowly escaping the last one as it passes over her.

Archer is losing his lead little by little. Jeanne is about to catch up with him at this rate.

_Trace on._

A dozen longswords rain from the sky and create a circle around Jeanne. She stops momentarily to question where these came from before readying her banner.

Instead of using this temporary diversion to run away, Archer stops to turn around and face her. He re-summons the two short swords into his hands again.

"I told you that I have no intention of fighting you at the moment," he says.

"But you plan to fight us in the future?" she replies.

Jeanne swings her banner horizontally at the wall of swords. They give in under the pressure of her attack and shatter like glass. The shards jingle on the ground before disappearing moments later.

She carefully steps forward, taking glances around her in case more unexpected blades come flying at her.

"That depends on whether the Master you blindly take orders from becomes my target," he replies. "He's a pragmatist that doesn't seem to care much for anyone. Though I would normally approve of such a mindset, it's not doing him any favors now."

"Even if that is true, I will not abandon him," she replies firmly. "I believe in his humanity!"

Archer clicks his tongue. It looks as if he is in a particular bad mood after her statement.

"Your trust may be misplaced," he says. "But if you want to follow that path, be my guest. Blindly following an ideal will only lead to despair."

"And what is it that you are after, Archer?" she asks. "There is no denying that you are a Servant. So, why are you actively avoiding conflict?"

"I'm sure that you would love to know all about it," he says, turning around. "However, I have absolutely no reason to tell you anything or work with that Master of yours."

He walks over to the edge of the roof.

"Wait, we are not finished yet!" she says, picking up her pace.

"This will be my final warning to you, Holy Maiden of Orleans," Archer concludes. "If you keep following me or get in my way, I will kill you."

Jeanne comes to a halt upon realizing that he knows her true name. Archer uses this opportunity to leap away.

_I am the bone of my sword…_

The two swords in his hands disappear. In their stead, an ebony longbow appears along with a drill-shaped arrow.

Within the few seconds he is in the air, he takes aim at Jeanne. There is a surge of magical energy around him as he holds his breath. Then, he releases the arrow.

"Caladbolg!"  
[The Fake Spiral Sword]

Dodging is out of the question due to the speed of the projectile. Jeanne spins her banner in front of her which creates a shield of light. The arrow connects with a loud boom upon impact, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake.

Jeanne swings her banner wide to clear her view. She frantically looks around, but the red Archer is nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Well, that was meager, but I suppose it has been a fun little distraction," Gilgamesh says, crossing his arms.

What is he doing here? Why did he show up? Is he here to kill me? No, I don't think so. If he wanted me dead, I wouldn't be standing here now.

I have to play this very carefully. I can't show any sign of weakness and face him head on. Let's see what he wants.

"Well, I'm glad that this life and death struggle has been entertaining for you," I respond. "But what is the reason for honoring me with your presence, King of Heroes?"

"I decided to observe the group of mongrels that Lawson hired in hopes of some entertainment," he says. "It seems that they fulfilled their purpose."

Lawson? That must be his Master and the one who hired those freelancers.

"But enough about that," he continues. "I am surprised that someone as mediocre as you figured out my identity that quickly. Hmm, this era seems to be full of surprises, if nothing else."

"Am I correct in assuming that you're not interested in the Holy Grail War at all?" I ask.

"Of course not," he replies. "The entire premise of having to fight for it makes no sense to begin with. The Grail already belongs to me. All the world's treasures trace their origin back to my treasury."

"Isn't your contractor after the Grail though?" I ask.

"He summoned me to this world and maintains my form," he replies. "However, I have absolutely no reason to answer to some mage, let alone bestow my treasure upon him."

"Doesn't he have Command Seals as well though?" I question. "A Heroic Spirit cannot defy a command given with such magic."

"It would be foolish of anyone to order a king around," he answers, displeased. "Such an outrage is punishable by death."

A chill runs down my spine as he says that. Would he really cut down his own Master for using a Command Seal on him?

"So, what are you going to do next, if I may ask?" I say.

"That is indeed a good question." He smirks. "Right now, an enemy Master stands before me without any means of defending himself."

Shit. I have to somehow stall this out and hope that Jeanne comes back in time.

"However…" Gilgamesh continues. "Watching your struggle so far has been amusing. Therefore, I shall give you one chance to earn my mercy. Tell me, mongrel, what do you wish to do with the Holy Grail?"

I really don't want to tell him of all people, but I guess I don't have a choice here.

"To be honest, I wasn't planning to enter the war because I have no desire to be granted," I reply. "I simply stumbled into all of this by accident."

Gilgamesh raises an eyebrow.

"Impossible. Does the Grail not call upon those it deems worthy?" he responds.

"That's what the church claims, but like I said," I add. "I have no real desire. So, I opted for the rather mundane wish to ask the Grail for my origins. I'm not trying to reach the root like the other Masters."

"The root does not concern me in the least. It is a pointless sounding ambition," he says. "And your wish, though better than the root, is disappointingly mediocre."

This isn't going well. I can't believe that my survival right now hinges on whether I am entertaining to him or not.

"Nevertheless," he adds. "You have piqued my interest. Consider yourself fortunate, for you have been allowed conversation with the king."

I can hear rapid footsteps approaching from behind. Jeanne rushes in and gets between me and Gilgamesh. She assumes a defensive stance with her banner at the ready.

"Well, I will be taking my leave for now," he says, not bothering to give Jeanne more than a glance. "But I will ask one last thing. Mongrel, what is your name?"

It's too dangerous to risk a fight with him at this point. So, I'll just go along with his request.

"It's Zayne Kinami," I state.

"I see," he says.

Without another word, he disappears into golden dust and leaves. I sigh in relief. A conversation with him is like being held at gunpoint and I honestly don't think we can beat him in a fight yet. I'll take the fact that we survived that encounter as a win, for now.

Jeanne surveys our surroundings and notices the two dead bodies.

"What happened here?" she asks.

She then notices how my bloodied clothes look like swiss cheese and her eyes widen in shock. She walks up to me until our bodies are mere centimeters away from each other. I nearly wince at this unexpected approach.

"And what happened to you?" she adds, startled.

Examining the openings in my clothes, she soon wears a puzzled look on her face. It doesn't stop her from looking at every opening she can find though.

"I'm fine, honestly," I reply. "I don't die that easily."

I grasp her wrists to prevent her from going further through my clothes. I slowly, and with a little force, redirect her hands back to her sides.

"You definitely got injured though," she says, crossing her arms. "How did you get rid of that so easily? Are you versed in healing magic?"

I hesitate for a moment.

"Yes..." I answer. "Healing magic."

She doesn't need to know what it really was, nor the price I pay for such magic.

"Anyway, what happened to the self-proclaimed Archer in red?" I ask.

Jeanne hesitates for a moment and scratches the back of her head while avoiding my gaze.

"He... got away. I am sorry," she says apologetically. "But I can say that he has a similar ability to the King of Heroes."

"That's worrying," I reply. "And his existence also questions what we know about the Holy Grail War so far. We've either been misled about the class of another Servant or there are more than seven Servants present. Could it be a Ruler?"

"That is impossible," she says. "A Ruler would openly declare their class and abstain from any involvement unless the rules of conduct are being violated."

"Point taken," I say. "Let's head back home. I don't want to discuss this out here in the open."

I look at the dead freelancers one more time.

"I've had enough for today." I conclude.


	11. The Sun King

1303 BC – Egypt

There was chaos in the streets of Egypt. Hundreds, thousands of Egyptian soldiers marched through the streets, the market, the construction sites, and people's homes. The ground shook, sand spread across the terrain as the soldiers ran. The scorching heat of the sun wore heavily on them.

Countless heralds appeared throughout the city, preaching the word of the pharaoh.

"By the order of Pharaoh Seti I, all male Israelite children are to be drowned in the Nile as punishment for rebellious intent against his excellency!"

There was no clear evidence to justify this sort of punishment. Seti I merely feared that they might become too powerful to control. However, the pharaoh's word was unquestionable and absolute.

The soldiers barged into Israelite homes and took every male child they could find. Any who resisted, trying to save their children, were executed immediately for treason.

The mothers uttered cries of lamentation. The fathers were either killed or beaten senseless for standing in the way of the soldiers or raising a hand against them.

The soldiers rounded up the children they found in groups and brought them to the Nile river where they threw them to their demise. It was a horrible sight for everyone involved. The local crocodiles devoured their free meals. The remaining dead bodies floated slowly down the stream of water on their journey toward the Mediterranean Sea, never to have a proper burial, never to be seen again.

Amidst the chaos, a lone mother, Jochebed, evaded the watchful eye of the Egyptian soldiers. She ran as fast as she could with a basket made out of wood in her arms. She knew that she could not stay hidden for much longer and that her son would be killed once she was found.

Thus, she took momentary cover amidst the high grass near the Nile's riverbank. She already knew what she had to do, but it was not an easy choice for any mother that loved her child from the bottom of her heart.

She set the basket she held onto the ground and took one last look at her baby boy as he smiled at her.

This was most likely the last time she would see his face. However, he would at least have a chance at surviving the ongoing massacre.

She picked the basket up again and set it on the water of the Nile.

"Goodbye, Moses, my son," she wept, casting him down the river.

The basket traveled some distance and successfully escaped the grasp of the soldiers.

In an ironic turn of events, the basket was discovered by the daughter of Seti I who was bathing in a secluded spot down the Nile river with her handmaidens.

She picked up the basket in the water. Once she realized that a baby was inside, she took him in and decided to raise the boy out of the kindness in her heart. He would grow up with his new brother, Ozymandias.

* * *

There was silence, but not because a disaster occurred. There was peace in the land. The sand of the desert was still, the Nile's flourishing water that ran like a vein through the land was calm, and a gentle breeze blew by.

"Since when did the three of us start meeting like this again?" a feminine voice asked.

They were at a resort located at the bank of the Nile river. Ozymandias diverted his gaze from the setting sun to the source of the familiar voice with a soft smile.

A tanned woman with shoulder-length brown hair and matching eye color. She wore two Egyptian lotuses in her hair because it was her favorite flower. Her white dress slowly swayed in the passing wind.

There were only two people that he held dear to his heart. This person, Nefertari, was one of them.

He always felt at ease in her presence and smitten by her beauty. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Surely, someone as perfect as her could have been none other than an incarnation of the Egyptian goddess of love, Hathor.

"The two of you seem to be doing well," a hushed voice spoke, almost like a whisper. "I am just grateful that I can talk to you like this."

Moses, clad in red and white robes, the other person Ozymandias held dear. Though Moses looked drastically different compared to his company with his lighter skin tone and grey hair, Ozymandias considered him his peerless equal.

"There is no need to be modest," Ozymandias assured him. "You can always come over to visit me. I shall allow it."

"I would not dare to do distract you from your duties," Moses replied. "Between governing Nubia and constructing the Temple of Abydos, I imagine that you have little time for anything else."

Nubia was the name of the southern area in ancient Egypt. Ozymandias's father gave him that region so he could gather experience.

"Very well," Ozymandias said. "But do not hesitate if you change your mind."

The three of them sat down, with Ozymandias in the middle, on a bench at the edge of the terrace, overlooking the river in front of them as the sun descended on the horizon.

"This feels just like the old days," Nefertari said, resting her head on Ozymandias's shoulder.

There was silence as they took in the beauty of the scene in front of them. However, for Ozymandias, this almost felt like the end of something. Change would come soon. The current pharaoh, Seti I, was nearing the end of his life. Consequently, Egypt would require a new pharaoh to lead it.

"I wish that people everywhere had happiness," Moses said.

Ozymandias and Nefertari looked at him in bewilderment at the seemingly random statement.

Seeing this, Moses continued, "For the world and its people to be at peace. The gods in heaven, the Pharaoh, and the god who the Hebrews obey, surely hope for the same thing."

After all, Egypt was still in conflict with its neighbors, the Hittites, and stood as a tyrannical force over its slaves.

"Oh, do you understand the hearts of the gods and the pharaoh even though you are not a pharaoh yourself?" Ozymandias asked.

"Please do not ridicule such cruel things in that manner, Ramesses," Nefertari said, nudging him on the side.

"What are you saying?" Ozymandias asked. "It is not as if I have control over these matters."

Moses looked at him and smiled. "You are going to be the next Pharaoh, Ramesses. You, who shall reach the gods... no, the same seat as the god Amun-Ra, will go down in history as the greatest among the Pharaohs. And... if it is your heart, I might be able to understand some part of it."

"I see," Ozymandias answered.

"I am certain that you can bring happiness," Moses reassured him. "Even to the Hittites."

"That is a bold statement," Ozymandias responded. "I am confident in my abilities to win wars, but..."

"You can do it," Moses added. "I say that because you are unlike anyone else. Listen, I am convinced that you will become Ozymandias, the King of Kings who is loved by the people."

"You can say that so easily because you do not know what war is like," Ozymandias said.

"No, Ramesses," Nefertari interjected. "It is strange, but I feel the same way."

"Nefertari, I know you are ever the dreamer," he said. "Tell me, what do both of you actually think about me?"

"You are who you are," Nefertari replied. "My dear."

Moses nodded. "Indeed, I believe in you because you are you."

Ozymandias was speechless. It was the first time since his birth that he felt like a sacred being who had to become a pharaoh. Not just for the sake of the world and the people living in it, but for the trust and the faith the two most important people in his life placed in him.

* * *

At the age of 24, Ozymandias ascended the throne of Egypt as the third pharaoh of the 19th dynasty under the name Ramesses II and the Pharaoh Meryamen. The nearly 70 years of his reign were regarded as the golden age of ancient Egypt. He governed Egypt as a wise ruler and became famous for the construction of many great structures in the land.

A few years later, Ozymandias led Egypt's armies as a skilled general and made peace with the Hittites, bringing an end to the conflict that lasted nearly two centuries.

The Pharaoh brought prosperity to his land by pushing for cultural exchange. He loved his people, and they loved him in return. He was known to have many concubines and having fathered many children over his lifetime. However, his beloved wife remained Nefertari.

Ozymandias lived happily with his wife and his brother, Moses, until the day came when the friendship between the two brothers would be put to the test...

* * *

The double doors to the throne room burst open. Two Egyptian soldiers with Moses in tow barged in.

The throne room was grand. The floor was made of the finest marble and the walls were decorated with many colorful hieroglyphs.

Ozymandias, who was sitting on his golden throne and talking to one of his advisors, diverted his gaze to them and his expression soured.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked. "Let go of him at once!"

The soldiers immediately let go and one of them started speaking, "My Pharaoh, Moses has killed one of our overseers at the construction site."

Ozymandias's looked surprised for a moment there, but he quickly regained his composure. The fact that the person he grew up with his entire life could have killed someone sounded too outlandish to be true.

"Leave us," Ozymandias ordered.

The advisor and the soldiers bowed their heads and promptly left the room. There was a moment of silence between the two brothers.

"What happened?" Ozymandias asked in a softer tone.

"It is just as the soldier said," Moses replied sadly. "I killed one of the slave drivers. He was abusing one of the slaves and I had to intervene. It was an accident, but that does not change the fact that his blood is on my hands."

The punishment for such a crime was clear, but Ozymandias couldn't bring himself to act on it. He wholeheartedly believed his brother's words and that he was right, but others might not see it that way.

"I will need to make some arrangements," Ozymandias said. "But I am confident that we can work this out."

"No," Moses responded instantly.

"What?" Ozymandias said.

"I have to leave for a while to reflect on some things," Moses said mournfully. "I do not know when or if I will come back. I hope you understand."

This was one of the rare occasions where Ozymandias was not sure how to handle the situation. As much as he wanted to give his lifelong brother what he wanted, he didn't want him to leave.

"Are you certain about this?" he asked. "I ask that you think this through."

Moses shook his head. "I am sorry, brother, but I must go."

He couldn't stop him.

"Very well," Ozymandias said, closing his eyes. "Stay safe, brother."

Moses bid him farewell and took his leave. It pained Moses to leave as it did Ozymandias, but the latter didn't harbor any anger towards him for this sudden departure.

Unfortunately, things were destined to get worse from this point and their friendship would be put to the test.

Many months passed and Moses eventually reached Mount Horeb where he stumbled upon a burning bush which was strangely not consumed by the fire.

Thus, the Lord's voice reached Moses and gave him a task. His true heritage was revealed. He was to become the prophet of the Israelites, free them from Egyptian oppression, and guide them to the Promised Land...

* * *

Soon, Moses stood with his biological brother, Aaron, before the Pharaoh again. The throne room was crowded with many people that had business with Egypt's ruler, but when Ozymandias saw his brother again, he stood up from his throne and met him halfway, putting the rest on hold.

"Moses, it is good to see you again," he said cheerfully, embracing him in a hug. "You were gone for so long that I feared for the worst."

They both smiled, but it was a bittersweet reunion.

One of Ozymandias's advisers walked up to them and spoke, "Forgive the interruption, my Pharaoh, but I am obligated to remind you that this man committed a serious crime."

"Be silent!" Ozymandias reprimanded him. "I hereby forever pardon him from all crimes he stands accused of. So let it be written, so let it be done."

The advisor scurried back at the words of the Pharaoh.

"Ramesses," Moses said.

"What is it?" Ozymandias replied, turning his attention back to him.

"Forgive me," Moses said. "Ramesses, in my heart, you are my brother, but things cannot go back to how they once were."

"I see no reason why not," Ozymandias responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Ramesses, I am a Hebrew," Moses stated. "And the Lord has spoken to me."

Ozymandias was silent. It didn't matter to him of which descent Moses was from, he was and always will be his friend and brother, but he was afraid of what he was going to say next.

"He commands that you let his people go," Moses added.

He was denouncing the pantheon of Egyptian deities.

"Commands?" the Pharaoh repeated after him in a condescending tone.

"I can give you proof if that is what you want. Observe," Moses said calmly, turning to Aaron.

Aaron held his staff in front of him before letting go of it. Strangely enough, the staff stood on its own, and the lower end began to bend and change color. Before their eyes, the staff transformed into a living snake.

"Hmph," Ozymandias said, unimpressed. "Very well, I shall play along."

He gestured for two of his sorcerers in the back to come forth. Then, they proceeded to turn their rods into snakes as well. The serpents approached each other, and after a swift bout, the snake of Aaron swallowed the other two snakes in one fell swoop.

The remaining serpent returns to Aaron and transforms back into a staff. This was quite humiliating for the two sorcerers and the Pharaoh.

"Clear the throne room," Ozymandias ordered.

The advisors, soldiers, merchants, state officials, and Moses's company leave the room, leaving the two brothers alone once more.

"Moses, what is this really about?" Ozymandias asked.

"Look around you, Ramesses," he answered. "What do you see?"

"A prosperous Egypt," Ozymandias replied. "Greater than it has ever been."

"That is not what I see," Moses said. "Do you remember what Seti did?"

"He was a wise leader of Egypt," Ozymandias said.

"His hands are stained with the blood of thousands of children!" Moses retorted.

"Slaves," the Pharaoh added.

"They are my people," Moses pleaded. "And I cannot hide in the desert while they are suffering."

"So, you came back, only to free them..." Ozymandias said.

"I am sorry," Moses said.

Did Ozymandias feel betrayed? Had he already lost the brother he once knew? Nevertheless, he had a duty as Pharaoh. He had to uphold the ancient traditions just as the ones who came before him. Caving in to his demands would be an insult to the Egyptian gods. Though Ozymandias loved Moses like a brother, he is, above all else, a stern ruler.

"I do not care for that god of yours," Ozymandias said rigorously. "And neither shall I let your people go."

"Ramesses, please listen to me," Moses said.

"I will hear no more of this," Ozymandias concluded. "Now, begone. I have other matters to attend to."

* * *

The Pharaoh's refusal inevitably triggered the Ten Plagues of Egypt.

On the next day, the greatest catastrophe to ever befall Egypt began to unfold.

_"By this, you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hands, I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink and the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water."_

Once the news broke out, Ozymandias ordered all available water reserves to be rationed. After a week, the Nile returned to normal again, but this was only the beginning.

" _If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials."_

The streets and the people's homes were practically overrun. Pest control was overwhelmed by the sheer number of frogs. Another week passed, and the frogs were gone.

" _Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt."_

The lice preyed upon Ozymandias's Egyptian subjects. The Pharaoh barely managed to keep it under control. Once the lice disappeared on their own, the fourth plague arrived to take its place.

" _If you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand."_

This was the first plague that was directly capable of harming humans and livestock. The first casualties were reported, but Ozymandias still refused to let the Israelites go.

" _If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field – on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats."_

The majority of Egypt's livestock succumbed to the disease and it took a heavy toll on the land's source of food and transportation. It would take years to regain the number of lost animals.

" _Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of the Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."_

Unrest spread throughout the kingdom. The infected people were isolated and treated as best they could, but the majority of the infected were claimed by the sixth plague.

_"You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow, I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die."_

And so, the hail came as it was announced. Thunder and lightning stroked the land repeatedly on that day. Every living creature took shelter and didn't dare to go outside. The unlucky ones who were still outside immediately perished. Even after this, Ozymandias stood firm in his decision.

_"If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians – something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now."_

Panic began to spread as the locusts blanketed the land and consumed what little sustenance there was left. The Pharaoh ordered the food reserves to be opened up to the public so that they would not starve to death.

And the Lord spoke to Moses.

" _Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt – darkness that can be felt."_

Thus, the sun, which was considered to be Ra himself, is blocked from the land, shrouding Egypt in darkness for three whole days. Still, Ozymandias denied the Israelites to go. He would not let some foreign god bring the great kingdom of Egypt to its knees.

Then, the tenth and final plague arrived.

" _About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of the Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt – worse than there has ever been or ever will be again."_

To protect the Lord's followers, Moses instructed the Israelites to paint their doors with lamb's blood, so that the plague will pass over their homes.

On that night, horrific wailing spread throughout all of Egypt. This marked the end of the ten plagues and Moses made his way to the palace once more.

He found Ozymandias in the middle of a hallway, on his knees, holding his and Nefertari's firstborn son in his arms with tears in his eyes. He was broken. Moses slowly approached him.

"You... and your people," Ozymandias said. "Have my permission to go..."

Moses crouched down to eye level with him. He tried to reach out to him. It was painful for Moses to see one of the most important people in his life like this. It should never have gotten this far.

"Leave me," Ozymandias hissed before Moses could reach him.

Of all his anger, none was directed towards Moses, for he was merely acting to free his people. He was angry at his son's death, angry at himself.

Moses got up, deciding it was best not to say another word and left with a heavy heart. By dawn, the Israelites were already leaving the boundary of the kingdom.

* * *

One of Ozymandias's advisors approached him at his throne, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"My Pharaoh," he said, bowing his head in reverence.

Ozymandias did not respond immediately. After all, preparations were being made to properly bury the deceased in the aftermath of the plagues.

"Speak," Ozymandias said.

"If it were not for the might of the Egyptian gods and you, we would have all perished," he states. "But I humbly request that we punish the ones responsible for this catastrophe. I propose that we send a legion of charioteers to hunt them down and bring divine punishment in the name of the gods."

It was one moment of weakness, and Ozymandias agreed to it against his better judgment.

After about half a day, the charioteers led by Ozymandias caught up with the Israelites, who found their path blocked by the Red Sea. The clouds in the sky darkened and the wind became violent.

Coming to a halt atop a hill overlooking the ocean, Ozymandias looked down on the mass of people at the shore until his eyes landed on Moses.

Once Moses noticed the charioteers in the distance, he stepped into the water and took his staff with both of his hands.

"Charge!" Ozymandias ordered.

The legion began to race down towards the Israelites and the gap between them became gradually shorter.

In an act of divine empowerment, Moses spread his arms as the clouds in the sky parted, shining a light on his position. Then, the Red Sea itself parted right in front of him, forging a path for the Israelites to flee to.

Upon seeing this brilliance, this light, Ozymandias ordered his legion to halt.

After telling the Israelites to go on ahead, Moses looked back one last time. He met Ozymandias's eyes as they simply looked at each other for a moment. A fleeting moment that felt like an eternity.

Ozymandias then closed his eyes before whispering, "Farewell, brother."

Moses nodded and uttered, "Goodbye, brother."

* * *

Putting this matter behind him once and for all, Ozymandias focused his full attention on rebuilding and expanding Egypt. Under his rule, Egypt became prosperous once more and Nefertari gave birth to Ozymandias's second prince.

Decades of peace passed as the Pharaoh neared the end of his life. Normally, a Pharaoh considered death as only the start of a journey towards reaching the eternal paradise of the gods, but not Ozymandias. He hated his own powerlessness in the face of death. After all, why should he be forced to accept death when he was already revered as a god, holding the world in the palm of his hand, by his people.

Ozymandias was on his deathbed. He was now 90 years old. His hair turned grey and he could no longer move as well as he used to. He hated the frailty of his mortal body.

His successor, Merneptah, stood at his side along with several servants. Nefertari had already passed away more than 40 years ago.

"Father," Merneptah spoke. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to live up to your greatness."

"Good," Ozymandias said. "Just remember what I told you: a pharaoh is the ruler of the earth and all things under their rule are equal."

"Yes, father," he replied. "But I could never hope to become like you. You were the greatest among all the pharaohs."

"You will do fine," Ozymandias said.

A messenger walked into the room and whispered something into Merneptah's ear.

"I have to go," he said. "There are urgent matters I must attend to."

Ozymandias nodded before Merneptah left. He looked up to the ceiling and, much to his dismay, had no other choice but to waited for death to come and claim him.

He sighs. "No man in this world grieves as I grieve upon the brink of death..."

If only he had a body that would that would not wither away.

Shortly after, the Pharaoh passed on and his body was buried in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings. And though he may be gone from this plane of existence, his tale would stand the test of time.

* * *

Talia wakes up sweating and a little groggy. She looks around and finds herself in her room of the apartment that she temporarily stays in while in Fuyuki. A look towards the window tells her that it is still night. It'll probably be another few hours until dawn.

She wants to get a little more sleep, but cannot see herself getting any more now. Not after what she saw in her dream. Those were the memories of the Servant she accidentally summoned.

But how? How was this possible? She knows that Masters can see their Servant's memories in their dream on rare occasions, but that requires them to have formed some kind of bond.

_I only met him a few days ago and haven't even interacted that much with him..._

Speaking of his majesty, where was he? Talia walks over to the door and peeks out into the living room. She spots Rider at one of the windows, looking outside melancholically. The room itself is dimly lit, so the moonlight from the outside is what shed light on him.

The apartment interior itself is nothing special. She imagines that his highness already criticized it several times over in his mind for being unfit to someone like him. At least that was pretty much the look he has had on his face when they arrived here.

"You are staring" he utters, turning his head towards her. "Well, I suppose it cannot be helped. For my radiance exceeds even that of the sun. It is only natural for anyone to gaze upon my perfect form."

Seeing as there is no use in hiding, she fully opens the door and comes out.

"I see that you have recovered rather fast," he continued. "Or is it something else that has awakened you at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep," she replies before looking out the same window. "What about you?"

Servants don't require sleep, but it is a method of preserving their magical energy.

"I was merely reminiscing about something that is long in the past now," he says dismissively. "Nothing you need to be concerned about."

"I- I see..." she says, looking around the room.

_Why is it so hard for me to have a conversation with him? I feel as if I have to behave like one of his subjects around him._

Lost in thought, Talia nearly jumps when Ozymandias speaks up again, "What are you waiting for?"

Only then does she notice that he moved to the comfy chair in the room, gesturing her to take a seat at the couch next to it.

"Huh?" Talia says.

"I can clearly see that you have not gotten proper rest," he says. "You are but a child after all. I told you before that I shall not allow your carelessness to be my downfall."

_I am 17. I am not a child anymore!_

"You can lay down there. I shall tell you a story that my mother used to tell me to help you sleep," he continued. "You said that you had trouble on your own, did you not?"

Going along with his suggestion, she grabs a pillow and a blanket before lying down on the equally comfy couch.

"May I ask what the reason for your generosity is, my Pharaoh?" Talia asks carefully.

"I am merely in a good mood," he elaborates. "But do not get conceited. I expect you to humbly accept this honor with due reverence."

This is unexpected. He may behave like a god-king that descended from the heavens to save the world, but he isn't as unapproachable as he seems to be.

Talia closes her eyes and smiles softly. Whether he does this out of self interest or out of concern for his contractor, it is a nice gesture nonetheless.


	12. A Divine Clash

Talia looks at a sky full of stars. She thinks she can reach out and touch them. The view from above the clouds is so much more beautiful without the light pollution. Every little light is a distant star in the vast expanse of space.

Even though her hair is messy from the strong winds at above five kilometers, the rare sight is definitely worth it.

"Shoddy, inferior, unacceptable!" Ozymandias says.

Unfortunately, the Cosmic Sphinx and its passengers aren't riding through the sky to sightsee.

"Is there no architecture in the modern era worthy of standing close to the splendor of my temple?" Ozymandias asks, his eyes scanning the city below him.

"P-Perhaps I could help you in your search if you tell me what to look for," Talia says.

"Fool, you do not possess the disposition of a pharaoh," Ozymandias says, not averting his eyes from the city. "Therefore, you cannot determine a suitable location. Hm?"

Talia follows his gaze as he abruptly stops. Ozymandias seems to be focusing on the forest area outside the city. Namely, an area with a magnificent castle in white.

"Tell me, what do you know of that castle there?" he asks.

"Uhm, if I remember correctly, that is the residence of the Einzbern Master," Talia replies. "According to information on the previous three Holy Grail Wars, they use that castle as their main base of operations every time they come to Fuyuki."

"Hmm, Berserker is the Servant of that homunculus if I recall correctly," Ozymandias contemplates. "Or so it seems..."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"No, it was nothing," he says, waving his hand dismissively.

It clearly isn't nothing, but Talia doesn't press the matter.

"Those castle grounds should be adequate," he concludes.

The Cosmic Sphinx descends after those words and approaches the castle at a rapid pace. Talia holds onto the sphinx's skin with her hands as to not fall off. How Ozymandias can freely stand with no need to hold onto something at this speed, she will never know.

Everything seems quiet when two rays of sunlight shoot left and right past the sphinx. They each hit an axe that falls back to the ground.

"Very well, let us settle this!" Ozymandias shouts downwards.

The sphinx comes down to the ground. Talia carefully peeks over the cover of the sphinx and sees Ozymandias staring down Berserker who just collected his second axe off the ground. The enemy Servant looks at them with a blank expression.

There are a few seconds of silence. Only the leaves in the trees rustle due to the passing wind. Then...

"Heh," Ozymandias says. "Huhahahahahaha! I knew it!"

The Pharaoh bursts out laughing.

"You cannot fool me," he continues. "I know who you are imitating. Maddened or not, a ruler always carries himself with pride. You, on the other hand, are devoid of it! I can see it all over you that you do not even possess the tiniest sliver of the disposition of a ruler."

The Servant in question gradually shrinks in size, contorts, and his whole body turns to a shade of grey. A few seconds pass until a person about the same height as Ozymandias stands before them. He is draped in a white cloak, has lush green hair with matching turquoise eyes, and is barefoot. There are no visible weapons on this Servant.

Talia squints at the shapeshifting Heroic Spirit.

What a strange Servant. Despite having the face of a beautiful woman, all other parts of their body make the Servant appear male. It almost looks unnatural, like a doll or something.

"I suppose you are correct," Lancer replies calmly. "It was obvious that I could not keep this charade up indefinitely. I simply lack the emotion to properly emulate a human being. After all, I am nothing more than a weapon. And since you intrude upon this territory, I assume that you are prepared to die as well?"

"Nonsense," Ozymandias replies. "I shall show you the prowess of a godly pharaoh and permit you to die in despair!"

The air surrounding Lancer crackles as white lightning sparks, exuding a powerful aura. The Servant's emerald hair flutters behind him due to the sheer power generated.

"T-This is bad," Talia says with wide eyes. "His parameters are- are-"

_STR: A_   
_AGL: A_   
_LUK: A_   
_END: A_   
_MP: A_   
_NP: A++_

"My Pharaoh, we need to retreat!" Talia says frantically. "This Servant's parameters all rose to A-rank just now!"

Either Ozymandias doesn't hear her or he chooses to ignore her. He narrows his eyes at the enemy in front of him.

"Now then," Lancer speaks up. "What shall I cut off first?"

Lancer thrusts his arms forward. Several chains with bladed tips shoot forth from his palms. The Cosmic Sphinx counters with a beam from its face. The chains stop and disintegrate.

Lancer tumbles to the right and avoids the beam. Ozymandias swings his scepter in his direction as several beams of light bombard the area he is in.

There is silence for a moment as they wait for the smoke to clear out. Once it does, they notice a small dome made of earth standing there. Lancer breaks out and charges towards the sphinx at an inhuman speed. His hand transforms into a blue-glowing blade.

The sphinx spreads its wings to take off but halts in place. Ozymandias looks down to see four small portals on the ground, a chain protruding from each one and halting the four limbs of the sphinx.

Lancer closes the gap and jumps up. He draws his bladed hand back to strike the Pharaoh. Ozymandias jumps backward off the sphinx and grabs Talia in the process.

Once he gains some distance again, he lets go of Talia who stumbles and lands on her butt.

The chains force the sphinx back onto the ground and continue to wrap around its body. It lets out a cry in helplessness.

"Mere chains restraining a divine beast?" Ozymandias mutters. "Impossible."

Lancer lands behind the sphinx as he takes a moment to analyze his enemy. He puts his hand on the ground and it begins to glow faintly. Multiple bladed weapons emerge from the earth, all pointing at Ozymandias.

The weapons all fire towards the Pharaoh, but he was already familiar with this kind of attack from his encounter with the Golden King. In perfect sync, several beams of light come down to each strike one of the weapons before they can reach their intended target.

Lancer furrows his brows at the tenacity of his adversary. It kind of reminds him of a certain someone, especially the laugh.

Ozymandias crosses his arms and stares Lancer down menacingly, his scepter still in his hand.

Unsure of what Rider is trying to pull here, Lancer opens a few portals behind him that shoot out more chains. He begins to charge shortly after.

The chains quickly close in on Ozymandias. He sidesteps left, right, and jumps back again. A few of the pointed ends graze his skin. Droplets of blood trickle down his body. How dare he spill his divine blood.

"To inflict injury upon the body of a pharaoh," he says. "I will burn you to ashes!"

Lancer is within striking distance of Ozymandias now. Talia watches as the Pharaoh does not attempt to dodge the bladed hand that is coming down towards him. He is about to die.

"Uraeus!" Ozymandias shouts.

Mere centimeters away from each other, Lancer is engulfed in a massive pillar of sunlight from the heavens.

The beam lasts about ten seconds as Lancer is burned alive under its might. Ozymandias smirks, but his attitude quickly changes into one of disbelief once the light subsides.

Talia watches in horror as Lancer, horribly disfigured and burned, still stands. Lancer takes a few steps back, taking ragged breaths as the remainder of his body contorts and molds itself.

Before their eyes, he fully regenerates his body and stares them down as if nothing has happened.

"I see now," Ozymandias says. "You are a weapon of the gods. The Chain that restrains the heavens."

Enkidu doesn't respond. His identity has been found out. How would his Master think of this? They probably shouldn't leave alive now. He looks up to the sky to where the devastating beam of light came from. There is definitely something there, but the clouds are obscuring it.

Enkidu looks back down. Rider has divinity. However, Enkidu knows that he also has an EX rank Noble Phantasm that could potentially nullify his Noble Phantasm. It has to be his ultimate trump card that he only uses in the direst of situations.

The battle comes to a stalemate. Enkidu can't afford to take another hit like this. It's not that he would die from this. The problem is that he only had the opportunity to regenerate because Rider was taken by surprise. Were he to take another hit like that, Rider would follow up with more attacks to counter his restoration. And if he does manage to destroy him faster than he can regenerate, he would lose.

Ozymandias, on the other hand, knows that the chant for his temple complex would give Enkidu enough time to kill him. Besides, dropping it from the sky is only an option if all other options have been exhausted. Luckily, enough time has now passed for the third participant of the fight to return to action.

The sound of chains being shattered reverberates behind Enkidu. He turns around just as the sphinx tackles him with its superheated body and rams him into the ground.

The ground splinters as the sphinx repeatedly hammers its front legs into Enkidu, but it doesn't last long. Around the divine beast, hundreds of weapons emerge from the ground and shower it like a hailstorm.

Enkidu uses this opportunity to free himself from the sphinx's grasp, turns his hands into giant mallets, jumps up, and uppercuts it twice midair. He lands on the head of the sphinx as he turns his hands into razor-sharp blades and jams them in.

The sphinx lets out a cry of agony. It thrashes around violently and shakes its assailant off. Enkidu lands and opens a few more portals behind him. Just as the chains begin to peek out, sun rays shoot them all down.

Enkidu glances toward Ozymandias, who is pointing his scepter at him. Enkidu tumbles sideways to dodge the next beams and transitions into a zigzag sprint around the wounded sphinx. He stretches out his hand towards the Pharaoh to fire another volley of weapons to impede his attacks.

The sphinx has regained its composure and stretches its wings to take flight. Enkidu takes to the skies as well and lands on the back of the sphinx. Multiple chains shoot out from his palms that wrap themselves around the neck of the beast. Like reins on a horse, Enkidu begins to yank on the chains to rudimentarily control the trajectory of the sphinx.

The lion bodied beast of the hot sands reacts by igniting its own body again, glowing in a fierce red. Enkidu endures through the fire even as it burns his feet. The sphinx flies arbitrarily through the air until Enkidu gains enough control to somewhat steer it.

He redirects it towards Ozymandias and makes a nosedive with it. Just as he calculated, Ozymandias does not shoot down his own divine beast. However, before crashing down into the ground, Ozymandias makes a big leap backward to evade this attack.

This is the moment Enkidu was waiting for.

He lets go of the sphinx and jumps into the air while the Pharaoh is building distance between them. His sights set on Talia, who is observing their fight from not too far away, he dashes towards her with his sword-like hands.

Ozymandias fires dozens of sunrays to shoot Enkidu down, but he simply deflects them midair with his created weapons from the ground.

Closer. Closer. Closer. Enkidu is about to strike down the first Master of this Holy Grail War. Ozymandias intensifies his barrage of sun rays, but even though a few manage to connect, the Weapon of the Gods continues.

The sunrays aren't enough, the sphinx is currently out of the fight, his chariot, and the temple would take too long to bring out.

Talia stumbles backward and lands on the ground out of panic. Running is no use against this Servant's agility, much less trying to fight him. She can't help but stare in utter fear at the frighteningly powerful Servant approaching.

Less than two meters away now, Enkidu draws one hand back to deliver the killing blow.

Talia shuts her eyes, preparing for the worst and grasping the earth below her.

But the blow doesn't land.

Mere centimeters away from one another, a giant pillar shoots out in front of her from the ground, launching Enkidu high into the sky. The Lancer Servant recovers from the blow after a while and lands a distance away. He stands there, looking at them with narrowed eyes.

Talia looks in disbelief at the earthly pillar in front of her, questioning if that was somehow the Pharaoh's doing. Before she can continue that line of thought further, said Pharaoh picks her up and places her onto the back of the sphinx that has recovered by now without a word.

"I seem to have miscalculated," Enkidu comments.

"So it would seem," Ozymandias replies. "However, I expected more of the Chain of the Heavens. To think that you would stoop so low and resort to such tactics is truly disappointing."

The sphinx takes off and holds its position just above the trees.

"You misunderstand," Enkidu says. "I merely carry out the orders of my Master. I would have liked for this fight to be purely between the two of us too. But a tool has no right to question the one wielding it."

"I see," Ozymandias says. "In that case, I shall see to it myself that the castle along with that Master of yours will be razed to the ground until nothing but ash remains."

"And I shall see to it that it does not come to pass," Enkidu responds.

"Until then," Ozymandias concludes.

The sphinx leaves the airspace of the Einzbern Castle.

Enkidu looks around the ruined forest area. A good portion of the ground is burned or shattered and several dozen trees have been toppled.

He sighs. "This will take a while to fix..."

* * *

The last couple of days have been chaotic. Participating in a battle royale to the death was just so out of her element. Thinking back on the fight between Ozymandias and Enkidu, the skirmish at the park doesn't even compare. She wonders if their destructive fight is a sign of things to come.

At this point, Talia accepts the fact that this is just the nature of war. Death and destruction are unavoidable in the end, specifically since there can only be one winner.

Before she even realizes it, the sphinx lands on the apartment complex where she lives. Ozymandias hops off without a word and marches inside, cupping his chin in thought. Talia rushes inside, goes past him, and takes out her keys to open the door in advance. It is imprudent to make a pharaoh wait, especially after this close confrontation with the Lancer of this war.

She can't even begin to imagine what is going on inside that head of his. Was he angry perhaps? Though the fight didn't have a clear winner, he got really worked up the longer the battle continued.

She holds the door open for him as he walks through, his golden ornaments making a small clanking noise with every step he takes. Once the door is shut, she observes him as he quietly makes his way to the living room and settles down in the comfy chair in the living room.

"Maybe he's in a bad mood..." Talia mutters. "Best to leave him alone for the moment."

She glances outside the window as she walks past it on her way to the kitchen. Thankfully, the sphinx has vanished. It would be a huge problem if any civilians were to see it. The Holy Church would just erase their memories to cover it up either way, but there is no need to push it.

After rummaging through the cupboard, she takes out a cup to make herself some tea. It's probably the best way to calm down after a near-death experience. She might as well make one for his majesty too.

A few minutes later, she enters the living room with a tray and two cups of tea. She carefully places it on the table in front of the couch and sits down. Upon reaching for one of the hot cups, she leans back, and takes a sip.

"Though it took you some time," Ozymandias says, examining his cup. "I shall regard this beverage as acceptable."

Talia glances over to him in confusion. She is expected to make him something to drink? At times he acts so entitled. Then again, he is a pharaoh.

"I am glad that the tea is to your liking," Talia says. "What about your wounds?"

"Fool, those were not even scratches," he replies. "As the almighty and invincible sun, I cannot be harmed in a meaningful way."

Best not to comment on that statement. Silence is golden as they say.

"Nevertheless, it was a splendid battle," he continues. "Comparable to the decisive battle against the Hittites. To imagine that both heroes of ancient Mesopotamia and a Saint would be in this war."

"What about the rest? There's still Assassin, Berserker, and Caster out there," she asks.

"I have no interest in cowards that hide in the shadows, boastful warriors, or mystic-conjuring mages," he says indifferently. "They are nothing more than beings ruled by me, all equal in the eyes of the Pharaoh. Their existence is inconsequential."

"Then, what is so special about the other three you mentioned?" she asks.

"Bold of you to question me like this," he says. "But I shall answer it in light of your recent accomplishment."

Ozymandias leans back in his chair.

"You see, there are few things that pique my interest," he continues. "The first is those who possess the disposition of a ruler. Ah, but do not mistake it for those born of royal bloodlines. What I speak of are people that are born with the power of a ruler and the understanding to properly wield such power."

_That must be referring to that king in the golden armor we encountered at the park the other day._

"The second is Heroic Spirits who are pure and honest in nature. If they are heroes who have saved the world in the past, that makes them shine that much brighter. After all, these are the sort of people that the world needs, no matter the era."

"Then..." she says. "Does that apply to the Servant you just fought?"

"The Chain of the Heavens was made as a tool that gained a heart after walking alongside humanity," Ozymandias says somewhat disappointed. "However, instead of embracing that identity, it seems that he blindly obeys the whims of some mage."

_That Servant seemed like a gentle spirit until the fight started. It was as if he had become a merciless killing machine._

"Lastly," Ozymandias says. "There are those who are considered Saints. You can see it as an extension of the previous type. There is nothing more that needs to be said about this matter."

"I-I see," Talia says.

"Well, my interest right now lies somewhere else," he adds. "Namely that move you used to repel Lancer when he attempted to take your life. From what I have observed so far, your abilities are nothing of note."

Talia thinks for a moment. She is indeed capable of earth magic, one of the five great elements, but she was never able to use it so quickly on that scale before. Perhaps this is one of those instances where one's own body goes beyond its limit in a situation of extreme stress?

"I-I don't know how exactly I did it to be completely honest," Talia responds. "I never had much time to develop my practical abilities because my family pretty much forced me to focus on studying alchemy, evocation, cel-"

"Fool," Ozymandias interrupts her. "I did not ask for your personal history. A pharaoh doesn't concern himself with the affairs of individuals. We instead rule them all equally."

"I-I'm sorry," she stutters.

Ozymandias sighs. "I suppose it cannot be helped. Step forward, two or three steps should suffice. I am going to peer into your eyes."

Talia does as she is told and approaches him a little hesitantly.

"Do be careful not to meet my gaze directly," he adds. "After all, I am the brilliance of the sun itself. You may lose your eyesight."

A few moments of silence pass as she stands in front of him, looking awkwardly to the side or the floor.

"Hmm, a complete lack of regality," Ozymandias mutters. "No trace of a soldier's fire. Some potential as a mage, though far too unrefined to merit a position as a mage in my empire. Not a hint of a sage's wisdom."

There is another brief moment of silence. Was he finished?

"That..." Ozymandias says. "No, it must be my imagination."

"Huh?" Talia says with a puzzled look on her face.

"You may go rest now," he says. "I have some other matters to think about for the moment."

Unsure of what to make of what just happened, Talia leaves the room and prepares to sleep.

Ozymandias watches her leave. Once she is gone, he rests his head on his right hand and looks down at the tea he hasn't finished.

"She managed to summon me without a catalyst," he says to himself. "And those eyes... Surely it could not be?"

* * *

"Alright, that should do it," I say as I take a step back to admire my work.

I've set up a pinboard on one of the walls in the living room with the information we've gathered so far. There's a map of Fuyuki with all the important locations marked along with all the known Servant-Master pairs we know of. Additionally, the four possible locations for the Holy Grail to appear at are also marked. That being Ryuudou Temple, Tohsaka manor, the Fuyuki Church, and the Fuyuki Theater.

"Let's review everything that we know so far," I say.

Jeanne and I are standing next to each other, looking at the board.

"There can only be seven Servants in a standard Holy Grail War," Jeanne says. "The eighth slot is reserved for the Ruler-class in case of rule violations."

"We've already met six other Servants," I continue. "Let's go over them one more time. First, we have Gilgamesh as the Archer of this war. His Master, thanks to the clue he gave me and some digging of my own, is a mage named James Lawson. He's your standard mage that is backed by the Clock Tower and only in it for either prestige or the Root. Coincidentally, there's a yacht stationed just outside Fuyuki that belongs to him."

"The Rider is Ozymandias," Jeanne says. "He announced that in front of everyone else without a second thought. I do worry about the girl that seems to be his Master though. Why is someone as young as her participating in such a battle…"

"Beats me," I say. "Next, we have the shapeshifting Servant belonging to the Einzbern Master. Considering that Lancer and Caster are unaccounted for, I'd put that Servant into the Lancer class due to his prowess in battle. I doubt that a Caster would be able to pull off moves like that and evade both Archer and Rider simultaneously."

"Our first battle was against the real Berserker," Jeanne says. "You said that his Master is an executor of the church even though they are supposed to be neutral."

"Clearly they have their own agenda," I say. "Then we have Assassin in the form of Jack the Ripper. His Master has to be either Tokiomi Tohsaka or one of the Matous. There is no way they would sit out a Holy Grail War."

"Which brings us to the self-proclaimed Archer in red," Jeanne says. "He said that he is after a target, but didn't elaborate further on the matter. Other than that, the swords he used seemed to be of a lesser quality than they looked."

"Projection magic perhaps?" I say. "But still, that wouldn't be enough to qualify him as a Caster, assuming he just lied about his class. There's something else going on that we don't know yet. Maybe someone is breaking the rules again."

"Again?" Jeanne repeats. "What do you mean?"

"On my way to Fuyuki," I reply. "I read up about the previous Holy Grail War that took place here. Apparently, someone broke the rules and summoned an Avenger-class Servant. Unfortunately, their plan backfired and he or she got killed rather early on. The conclusion of that war remains a mystery though."

"Could the red Archer be a remnant of that war?" she asks.

"That's a good point," I say. "At any rate, we should be wary of him as long as we don't know his goals. Let's hope there aren't more like him out there."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I wish you all a happy new year :)**


	13. Behind the Scenes

The soft snow-laden ground crunches with every step Kirei takes. The dense snow obscures the stone pathway, hiding it from view. Fine layers of white conceal the wooden benches and the trees. Kirei casts his gaze further into the park. He sees his destination at the end of it - the Fuyuki Theater.

He stops for a moment to look around.

Silence. Darkness - save for the few lamps lighting the path.

No one in sight. No familiars either.

Assisting Tokiomi in the Holy Grail War is an unpleasant burden for Kirei. The only reason he is doing this is because Tokiomi and Father Risei asked him to. It's a good thing that he isn't actually a Master. The thought of having to deal with a Servant of his own is irritating.

But he still has to deal with a Servant, even though it's not his own. He is out in the field, pretending to be Berserker's Master while Tokiomi is cooped up in his house. Despite the fact that Berserker accompanies Kirei in spirit form for the time being, Tokiomi plans to use a Command Seal to recall him in case of an emergency.

Other than the short confrontation with Saber's Master, Kirei hasn't seen much action so far. All he has to do is gather information. Investigating the possible sites for the Holy Grail to appear is the last step of his task.

He stops in front of the entrance to the theater and sighs. What's even the point of all of this? This question has etched itself into his mind and repeated itself over and over. Years and years of searching for his purpose hasn't yielded any tangible results.

But, his faith in God gives him that small sliver of hope. He who forgives everything can surely bring him salvation at the end, despite his immoral tendencies and inability to find happiness like a normal person.

Snapping out of his reverie, Kirei steps into the entrance hall of the theater. After passing through the red-carpeted lobby and another hallway, he reaches the main hall. Hundreds of seats are neatly arranged in three blocks before the stage. More are higher up in an elevated position behind him. He presses a button on a control panel near the stage to light up the room.

This is one of the four possible sites where the Grail can be summoned. Naturally, the magical energy here is stronger, but there's something else. Kirei whips out three black keys in each hand and slowly scans his surroundings.

Berserker materializes next to him and stares down the seemingly empty space ahead. Kirei follows his gaze.

"Is there use in hiding when you have been found out?" Kirei says.

"I suppose there isn't," a feminine voice replies.

A woman with long white hair, pale gold eyes, wearing a long black and red coat appears on the stage. She has a katana around her waist in its equally colored sheath.

"A Servant?" Kirei says. "But who?"

"I am..." the woman says. "Saber."

"That is impossible," Kirei says. "The Holy Church confirmed the summoning of all seven Servants a while ago. And you were not among them."

"The Holy Church has lost its way," she says. "I am sure that a priest secretly allying with a Master doesn't conform with the rules of the war, does it?"

Kirei furrows his brows. Even though he wears gloves to conceal his hands to keep up the image of being Berserker's Master, this woman somehow sees through it. She knows too much. She has to die.

_STR: B_   
_AGL: A_   
_LUK: C_   
_END: C_   
_MP: B_   
_NP: A_

More information, such as her identity would be necessary to formulate a winning strategy, but there's no time for that now. Especially if she's working together with someone else and shares her knowledge.

"Berserker," Kirei says. "Kill her."

"Darius III will not be able to slay me," the self-proclaimed Saber replies, putting her hand on her katana. "I suggest you leave."

The torches on Berserker's axes ignite as he points one towards Saber. One dozen undead soldiers arise from the ground and charge. Saber draws her left foot back, hand still on the sheathed katana.

She draws her sword with inhuman speed and cuts horizontally. The upper halves of three soldiers fall to the ground, but they continue to crawl towards her.

The swordswoman inhales.

She dashes forward, using the skulls of the crawling skeleton soldiers as stepping stones. Surrounded by the remaining nine, she thrusts her katana forward three times in quick succession.

Another soldier falls to pieces. She ducks the spear of the next one, sidesteps and transitions into a spin to slash across the back of another.

She parries the following strike from a sword, then sweeps her enemy's legs. She turns around and swipes from left using her momentum. Two soldiers lose their heads.

She tumbles forward and turns to the remaining enemies. The blade of her katana radiates a pitch-black glow with a red line in the middle. The blade artificially extends as she finishes the undead soldiers off with one final strike.

Exhale.

Without a word, she diverts her attention back to the priest and the maddened king.

Kirei is impressed with her swordsmanship. She's definitely not a pushover, but neither is Berserker.

The war axes of the behemoth catch green fire. He growls at Saber.

"So, you still wish to fight?" she asks. "Very well then."

Berserker charges toward her. About halfway, he jumps into the air to deliver one great overhead swing with both axes. The samurai jumps to the side just in time. The stage is shattered. Burnt splinters of wood fly about as the axes dig themselves into the ground.

The samurai goes in for a quick attack from Berserker's flank. The sword strikes true and burrows itself halfway into his body.

As blood gushes out, Berserker lets go of his axes and backhands her. The force of the punch sends her flying across the room into a wall along with her katana. Berserker doesn't even bother to glance at his wound and picks up his axes again.

The swordswoman gets back up. She draws her katana back in a high guard, its tip pointed at Berserker.

After a moment of complete silence, she dashes forward again. Berserker swipes his axes in a cross pattern at her in response, but she slides underneath the blades and his legs. The samurai slashes at his left heel as she passes by.

Berserker falls on his left knee and wildly swings with one axe behind him. The samurai falls back to evade, but a whistling noise grabs her attention.

She turns on the spot and deflects three black keys that come flying her way. She looks at the priest in disdain for using such underhanded tactics. However, that momentary distraction is all Berserker needed.

The ground below her erupts and two long ivory tusks knock her into the air. A massive skeletal war elephant emerges. It's covered by a dark purple cloth that has eye symbols drawn all over it. On top of its head are golden armor plates and on its back is a throne of the same material, surrounded by shields and spears.

Once the samurai falls back down due to gravity, the elephant hits her with its snout, sending her flying into the next wall.

Berserker climbs atop the elephant and stares down at his opponent. He lets out a battle roar as dozens upon dozens of soldiers begin to materialize all around her. She is skilled, but there is only so much superior skill can do in the face of overwhelming strength in numbers.

The samurai poses her sword on high guard. Her right foot is behind her and her knees are slightly bent. She's still and unmoving at that moment, like a predator that is about to pounce on its prey.

Her katana begins to glow again just like before, but it's different this time. There's a surge of magical energy around her.

"Boundless light piercing through the myriad realms," she says. "The decree of heaven will be severed. Zek-"

A loud gunshot echoes throughout the theater. Kirei immediately follows its source with his eyes just in time to see a shadowy figure vanish into the darkness. Then, several grenades scatter all over the place.

His instincts kicking in, Kirei immediately seeks cover, only to discover that those were decoys that simulate gunfire. However, one of those is a smoke bomb that was thrown where the samurai stood moments ago.

The undead soldiers charge into the smoke, but they find nothing there.

This is troublesome, Kirei thinks. A mysterious new Servant claims to be Saber and a man cloaked in red calling himself Archer. He has to report this to Father Risei and Tokiomi at once.

"We are leaving, Berserker," Kirei says, walking toward the exit.

The soldiers and the war elephant vanish. Berserker enters spirit form and follows, leaving behind the destruction inside the theater.

* * *

"I'm afraid that the freelancers have been wiped out, Sir," the employee says.

"Seriously?" James replies, almost shouting.

"Y-Yes Sir," the man answers. "Their bodies were discovered by the Holy Church."

"Tch, typical," James scoffs. "Good personnel is hard to find these days. These freelancers turned out to be more useless than I thought."

He leans back in his chair and sighs. Once he sees that the man is still standing there, he addresses him.

"Is there anything else?" James asks with slight irritation in his voice.

"N-No, Sir!" the man says.

"Then what are you standing around for?" he says. "Get back to work."

After leaving, he sighs again and says to himself, "Incompetence surrounds me."

Well, what's done is done. No use in getting more frustrated over it than necessary.

He gets up and heads over to the lounge in the next room to relax. A short walk along the white walls of the interior of the yacht, he reaches the door to the observation room and opens it.

A look of confusion spreads over his face when he sees dozens of bottles with various alcoholic beverages scattered all over the bar. He follows the trail with his gaze and sees the Servant he has summoned laying down on a couch, tasting one of the aforementioned drinks. He wears a white, V-neck shirt and grey, python pattern pants.

"Arch-" he says. "I mean, my king. What are you doing here?"

Gilgamesh doesn't spare him a glance, but instead inspects the glass he is holding in his hand.

"Hmph, that should be obvious," the king replies. "I am sampling this era's beverages."

"I take it that you have finished your explorations?" James says, walking over to the bar. "Is the modern world to your liking?"

"It is unspeakably ugly," Gilgamesh replies. "However, there are ways for me to enjoy it."

"But what about the Holy Grail War?" James asks. "Have you already ended the lives of the scoundrels that are after the omnipotent wish-granting device?"

"As of now, I see no worth in the Grail," Gilgamesh says indifferently. "But even if it turns out to be trash, that is fine. For I have found another form of entertainment."

"What do you mean by that?" he asks.

"There is at least one Heroic Spirit present in this war worthy to face me," Gilgamesh says. "Moreover, a human that has caught my eye. I shall observe where that one's path will lead, be it in hope or despair. Rejoice, it appears that you did not waste my time by summoning me after all."

The Holy Grail War is a serious battle to the death, not some show to indulge in. And Servants are nothing more than disposable minions. Considering how powerful he is, Gilgamesh should have killed off the competition in one night. However, James doesn't have the guts to say these thoughts out loud.

"I see," James says, grasping the drink in his hand a little more tightly. "I shall leave you to it then, King of Heroes."

It's already humiliating that a mage has to listen to what his familiar has to say. However, it is the strongest of all familiars. As long as he patiently waits and plays it smart, he'll hold the Grail in his hands eventually.

Gilgamesh casts his gaze to the door after his contractor left. "What a boring man."

The fact that Servants cannot choose their contractor is a flaw in the Holy Grail War. This man completely fails to challenge his own limits, feeling satisfied in his stagnation. Were it not for the fact that he pays the king every due respect and provides him with the necessary mana to maintain his perfect form as an offering, he would have cut him into eight long ago.

But Gilgamesh's thoughts lie somewhere else for the moment. He was startled back at the park when he realized that his most trusted weapon and friend is missing from his treasury. For all the possibilities in heaven and earth, there can be only one explanation for this.

What else could this happenstance be, but proof of his kingship. However, it feels odd to be reunited like this after Enkidu's body and soul were destroyed by the gods so long ago.

Gilgamesh smirks. Claiming the Holy Grail is just a secondary objective to him at this point. He wants to savor this entertaining situation as long as possible. That is the meaning of pleasure, after all.

* * *

Nicolas flips through the files he collected on his desk. General information about the Holy Grail War, the leylines of Fuyuki, suitable locations for the Grail to appear, and what history there is about the previous wars.

He skims over some of the information again. The desk lamp provides the only source of light in this office that once belonged to the manager of the restaurant they are using. He pauses for a moment to rub his eyes. He has spent the better part of the day in this office to gather and research whatever there is to know about his adversaries.

Just as he moves on to the next file, a puff of smoke emerges in front of the desk and quickly takes shape.

"Miss me?" Caster smirks.

"Hardly," Nicolas replies. "I was just about to go through the Master profiles."

"That's fine," Caster says. "I have acclimated to this era and picked up some more sheep while I was outside. Don't worry, no one will miss them. They are people that either lived alone or did not have a home to begin with."

Nicolas takes out a few sheets of paper, each holding a picture of a person on the top left.

"There is nothing noteworthy about Tokiomi Tohsaka, Isasviel von Einzbern, and James Lawson," Nicolas says, brushing them to the side. "They are just like the other mages all over the world: arrogant, complacent, and secretive."

He brushes their profiles to the side. Caster walks around the desk to stand next to him and picks them up.

"They sound boring," he says, glancing over each of them before tossing them to the side.

"The Matou Master, Katsuki, is not a threat himself," Nicolas continues. "The patriarch of the Matou family, Zouken, is another matter entirely. I have placed several ravens around his estate to keep an eye on him just in case."

Caster picks up the profile of the old, decrepit man. "Another fool seeking immortality eh?"

"I doubt that he would just sit on the sidelines after living for centuries," Nicolas says. "As for Rider's Master, she is merely a child with no notable abilities. How one such as her managed to be chosen by the Grail, I have no idea."

"Truly this must be a twist of fate," Caster says, spreading his arms to the side. "Having such a young girl forced to participate in a battle to the death. She can see all the gruesome facets of humans killing each other for their selfish desires from a front-row seat. Such despair!"

Nicolas rolls his eyes at the comment that doesn't contribute to what he is saying in any way.

"Take this seriously, would you?" he says.

"I would not be here if I was not taking this seriously," Caster replies. "Anyway, what about the last Master?"

"Zayne Kinami," Nicolas says, grabbing the last sheet of paper. "A freelancer that was working for the Clock Tower before the start of this war. Out of all the Masters, he is the most... enigmatic one."

"How so?" Caster asks looking over his Master's shoulders.

"From the age of 10 until now, he has been working as a freelancer for the Clock Tower," Nicolas elaborates. "From the age of 4 to 10, he grew up in an orphanage. However..."

Nicolas narrows his eyes on the paper.

"No matter how deep I dug, there is absolutely nothing about him before he appeared in that orphanage," he concludes.

"Hmm, does it really matter where he came from?" Caster says nonchalantly.

"I suppose it doesn't," Nicolas says. "But the fact that there is nothing to be found is... odd."

"Well, if it troubles you that much, I guess it can't be helped," Caster says. "I could use my Noble Phantasm on him if the opportunity presents itself. The answer might lie in his subconsciousness. Though before we get rid of him, I want to break that Saint of his."

"I am fairly certain that she has a high Magic Resistance," Nicolas says. "Fighting her head-on would be tantamount to suicide."

"Who says I will fight her head-on?" Caster smirks.

"Either way, I want to try out something else first," Nicolas replies. "Patience, your time will come."

He gets up from the desk, folds his hands behind his back and walks toward the door of the office.

"Follow me, there are a few things we need to prepare in advance," he says. "I am fairly certain that the Holy Church is going to make an announcement very soon. We will use that to our advantage."


End file.
